Woven
by Mutt N. Feathers
Summary: In the sequel to Bound, watch as Anwen and Sirius, along with the rest of the family, help Harry navigate the path that will eventually lead them to war with Voldemort. Takes place in the cannon years, from the perspective of the adults.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Here it is, the beginning of "Woven". This is very short, but the first chapter will indeed be up tomorrow, so just a little something to whet your appetite. Many thanks to Peter, my amazing beta, who is diligently editing this project so that I can continue to update twice a week. We'll see how long we can keep that pace up. The story is completed, so it's simply a matter of editing and publishing. Song for this chapter: "Clocks" by Coldplay. Thanks again for your reading and the reviews, they rock my socks off. MNF**

**Prologue: Woven**

**Spring 1991**

**Anwen POV:**

_Three minutes...who would have thought that three minutes could feel so darned long? Okay, well, I have three minutes to kill...what should I think about? _ I was sitting in the master loo at my home, Grimmauld Place. I was still in my dressing gown, sitting on the edge of the tub, looking a a stupid potion phial, hoping that it would change from black to a nice light green, but I still had..._two minutes and 48 seconds. _

_How did I get here? Not here, as in sitting on the side of the tub in the loo, I walked in here when I woke up this morning, now 10 days late for my monthly cycle. I understood that part, and I certainly know how I could have gotten pregnant...I definitely understood that part..._ I thought with a sly smile crossing my face. _Our little jaunt to Brazil. Who said that a work trip can't be fun; just take your husband along. That's the part that's weird...how did I end up married to one of the most notorious pranksters and playboys that Hogwarts had ever seen? _

_I've known Sirius my entire life, well, my entire magical life. Dumbledore showed up on my eleventh birthday, told me I was magical, did my shopping with me and then promised he'd see me at school. It was so surreal, I wasn't supposed to be a witch, I was supposed to grow up and be an Opera prodigy, well I already was one; but then I found out that I was magical and everything changed. Meeting Dumbledore that day was the most important event in my life, it changed everything. Told me that there were mermaids in the Black Lake, neglected to tell me that he was the Headmaster -- interesting the way he uses information._ I sighed again, and checked my watch. _Two minutes and thirty seconds. UGH!!_

_Okay, so I went to Hogwarts, met Sirius on the train, we became fast friends, best friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, members of the Order of the Phoenix, got engaged. He lived in exile for four years in Greece while I tried to catch the supposed killer of our best friends -- James and Lily Potter -- and their infant son, Harry; except that they weren't dead, they were saved by a binding potion. Anyway, Sirius was in exile, got mad at me one night and went out and picked up a woman. Horrid days, I nearly left him...okay, not thinking about that anymore._

_We were finally able to bring him home when I caught Peter Pettigrew -- the fourth of their quartet of mayhem -- the rat. Nothing so wonderful as watching him squirm as they took him away to Azkaban. Oh, and why did you catch him? Because you're an Auror and a damn fine one at that! _I sighed again and looked at my watch: _Two minutes, two seconds, a third of the way there...you can do this, _I told myself getting up from my seat to walk around the room. _A watched pot never boils, maybe a watched potion won't turn colors?_

_Think about something else...anything else...um, think about your work. Yeah, being an Auror is pretty awesome, and it's good work too. Can't believe that I became one in six months, but that's what happens when you're a projecting visualist and you come of age during a war. I'm one of only two alive in all of Britain, and the other is my mentor. I love being able to see magic and manipulate it in my head. Love the fact that I do wandless magic too. But back to becoming an Auror, those were hard times, I don't think that I'd be able to do it again, I just kept pushing and pushing and hoping that it would all be all right when we got to the other side, which it was. The only thing that made it bearable, was Sirius. There are days that being in love with him is overwhelming; I never knew that I could love someone so very much._

_That's what I still can't quite figure out: how it all happened without calling it divine intervention. We ended up having a wedding that was organized and financed by the Ministry, married with ancient customs, some of which hadn't been used in a half a century. It was remarkable, our wedding, the whole damn three parts of it. I feel his heart beat within my chest, our bodies are tied together and our magic flows between us. I share his emotions, and he shares mine. Hell, we even have the same Patronus now. It's just...amazing._

I glanced down at my watch again. _One minute, thirty three seconds, we're half way there. We want this so badly. I went off the potion nearly three years ago, hoping to start a family right away, but that didn't happen. I knew that it would be hard, my body is small and I have a very demanding job; but I can't even begin to think if we can't..._ I pointedly looked away from the phial and took a deep breath._ Stop it, the healers just say that it's taking a while. It would have been easier if your best friend wasn't pregnant, but she'd had nearly as much trouble getting pregnant with her second child. _

_Lily Potter is my best friend, more like my sister; and her husband James is Sirius'. They've known each other since they were eight and they met the remainder of their trio, Remus Lupin, when they all started Hogwarts together. I started three years later, and Lily was my first friend on the train there. James and Lily have a wonderful son, Harry, who'll start at Hogwarts this fall. He's a remarkable young man, especially given what he has to do..._I shuddered at the ideas that crossed my head, and decided that this was a time for life, rather than a time to be thinking about death. _Fifty seven seconds, we're almost there. _

_So this is it. _I sat back down on the side of the tub, and returned to staring at the potion phial._ It wouldn't be so bad if we had to try another month..._ I closed my eyes and pushed the tears back that were threatening to fall.

"Winnie honey," I heard Sirius call from the other side of the door, "you all right in there? You feel...worried."

"Uh-huh," I responded non-committally. _Only problem with sharing emotions with your spouse, you can't hide anything._

"Oh, okay," he said, and I heard him slide down to the floor. _He knows that I'm in here waiting...I just don't want him getting his hopes up; I think he wants this more than I do. Sirius desperately wanted his own family, one that he could love and that would love him in return. He didn't grow up like I did, being loved by parents and surrounded by siblings; he had a rough childhood that only got worse as he went through adolescence. My family may not have understood me, but I know that they loved me...Sirius never felt that. I wanted to give this to him, I wanted to start this family with him..._

_What if you can't? What if being a mother just isn't in the stars? What are you going to do then?_

_Put those thoughts out of your mind, you're still young and he's certainly more than willing to keep trying to make those babies..._I was pulled from my own thoughts as I watched the potion begin to swirl in the phial. _Seventeen seconds..._

The waves became more pronounced and ordered, and a vortex was created within the small bottle. I stood up, staring at it. I could feel my heart racing and I took in a deep breath and held it.

_Ten seconds..._

_Nine..._

_Eight...oh God if doesn't change colors..._

_Six..._

_Five..._

_Four...please turn green, please turn green..._

_Two..._

_One..._

And I let the breath that I was holding out, and grabbed onto the bathroom counter. The swirling stopped and the little phial shown with a bright white light.

I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, could barely keep myself on my feet. It felt like the world had stood still. My mouth dropped open and I started crying.

"Sirius," I called him, he was only on the other side of the door so he was inside before I had finished his name, and his arms were around me. We were both staring at the counter, both of us had tears in our eyes...

the potion had turned green.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As promised, here is the first chapter, and for those of you who are Harry/Ginny fans, some sweet interactions between the children. It's the spring of 1991 when we start, and the chapter moves through the summer. Songs for the chapter, "Closer" and "Safe to Land" by Jars of Clay. Deep thanks to my amazing beta, Peter, for his pushing and prodding me to make this story better. I don't own Harry Potter, and no copyright infringement is intended. Mutt**

**Chapter 1:**

**Boys**

**May 1991:**

**Sirius POV:**

"Sirius love, if you don't get down here now, I am going to leave and the baby can be born without you there," the Griffin spoke, and then dissolved into thin air. My wife was getting impatient down on the lowest level of our house, waiting to floo to St. Mungo's. I left our bedroom and took the stairs two at a time to get down to her.

"Winnie, sweetheart, if we aren't there for five more minutes, it's not going to matter. It's not like we need to be there for Lily to give birth," I told her as I reached down and caressed her lower abdomen. "Hello in there little peanut," I said as I lifted her loose shirt and kissed the small swell in her midsection. _That's the baby in there, our little baby._ I smiled as I replaced her shirt and looked at her in the face, she was shaking her head at me. "What?"

"Sirius, you're going to drive me crazy. We have seven more months until this baby is going to be born. Are you going to kiss my belly every time you see me?" she asked me.

"Of course. That's my little baby in there, I want it to know me when it gets here," I told her, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her forehead.

"Your baby? You planning on giving birth to it? I guess I have nothing to do with it then," she said full of mock anger. "Fine, glad to know that I'm not going to be getting fat and the morning sickness will be going away." She tried to pull away from me, but I wouldn't let her.

"Winnie, love, please don't be this way. I know how hard it's been for you lately, I'm just excited," I pouted at her. She rolled her eyes and then relented, settling back in my arms.

"Fine. You're doing better than when I confirmed the pregnancy though," she said, cocking her eyebrow and smirking at me.

"Winnie, you just took me by surprise. We've been trying for so long, I didn't expect you to just show up while I was working, tackle me and whisper in my ear that the Healer confirmed it and then tell me that I couldn't tell anyone. I was in a bit of shock, love."

"Yes, because all of that 'trying' was such a burden on you. Had to drag you kicking and screaming into the bedroom to make love to me," she teased me. "As long as you are happy about it now?" I nodded at her. _I was happy, deliriously happy about it. She glowed, she was actually glowing. _"Come on, Lily wants me in the delivery room with her, and you need to help distract Harry. I don't think he understands just how much waiting there could be today. He really may be better off waiting at home."

"If he gets too bored, I'll take him out to do something else, but he wants to be there to support his parents, and I think that we should let him have the chance to make this choice himself," I told her, helping her on with her cloak.

"Thank you love and you're right about Harry. Maybe you can work with him on his Latin while you are waiting. He really needs to work harder on it," she said, handing me the textbook. I looked at the book and then looked back at her.

"Winnie, Latin homework is not going to be how Harry wants to while away his time." She gave me that look. "Fine, I'll take the Latin book with me." _Doesn't mean that I need to use it. If Harry needs distraction, we'll find something better to do with our time._ "You go first, I will follow right behind you love." I kissed her gently and rubbed my hand across her middle again and Winnie stepped into the floo and was gone in a flash of green flames. I went as soon as the flames had died down, and together we walked through the hallway of St. Mungo's.

Lily was in a private room, just off a large waiting room. We knocked on the door and went in. James was sitting next to his wife, and I swear that I saw relief pass over his face when I walked in. _She must be as bad as when Harry was born. _Harry ran over to hug me, which was unusual, he hadn't hugged me in several years.

"You have to get me out of here. My Mum is crazy," he whispered at me. I had to stifle a chuckle. Winnie must have felt my amusement because she glanced over at me with a confused look on her face. I moved my head slightly towards Harry and she nodded in understanding.

"Hey James, why don't we take Harry down to the tea room for a few minutes and let the girls talk. Lily is in good hands with Winnie here, and we'll be right back. Is it okay Lily?" I said. James looked thrilled at the idea of getting out of the room.

"Yeah, it's fine. Get them out of here, they are making me crazy. Remus had a few calls to make today, but he should be here soon as well. Go on, get out of here so you can get back, I don't want my husband missing the birth of our second child." She sort of barked at us. _I really hope that Winnie isn't like that when she delivers the baby._ The three of us walked out of the room and as soon as we were out of ear shot Harry started talking.

"Why didn't you warn me about what would happen to Mum?"

"I had hoped that it would be better since she knew what would happen. Sorry son, if it gets too bad, Uncle Sirius here can take you home or to Grimmauld or somewhere and we can patronus when the baby gets here," James said, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders.

"No," the young man sighed "I want to be here for Mum. I just wish I had something to do with my time. I don't think I want to be in the room with her."

"Well, your Aunt Winnie sent your Latin textbook for you," I said, producing the book from inside of my robes.

"Great," he said unenthusiastically. "Why am I learning all of this stuff anyway? Ron hasn't had to learn Physics or Biology and I speak more languages than anyone I know." he whined.

"That's not true. Your Aunt Winnie speaks 17 languages. You're no where's near that level," I said sarcastically. He didn't look happy at my answer.

"Son, we've talked about this. Your mother and I think that it is important for you to have a traditional primary education. We pushed it a little, because once you are at Hogwarts, you won't be able to keep up with these studies as easily." James looked at me over Harry's head and gave a worried look. Harry had been asking a lot of questions lately about why he had not only been pushed on learning languages, science, literature and the arts; but had also questioned why we had been teaching him about Wizarding history and basic spell work. We had all been trying to deflect his questions, but he is a smart boy, and at some point, he was going to know that we were just putting him off.

"Fine, but you know, I feel like a dork for knowing so much stuff sometimes. I mean, I'm not even 11 yet Dad and I speak Latin. Nothing says nerd like speaking a language that isn't spoken anywhere anymore," Harry complained.

"Well, that may be true in the Muggle world, but in our world, most of our spells are based on Latin. Having a firm understanding of the language will help you when it's time to create spells and understand new ones. Come on, lets get something to eat and then I need to get back up there," James sighed.

"You think she's crazy too, don't you Dad?" Harry asked his father. We stopped and James took his son by the shoulders.

"Don't ever let her know that Harry, please, for both of our sakes," James laughed, and we both joined him. We had some afternoon tea, and I got a cup to go for Winnie and we made our way out of the eatery. We passed the gift shop on the way, and in the window was a Wizarding chess set, but the pieces were shaped like Quidditch players. Harry stopped and looked at the set in the window. He was already obsessed with the game, and had gotten quite good at playing both Chaser and Seeker when he was with the Weasley boys. I couldn't think of a better way for us to pass the time together.

"Guys, why don't you head upstairs, I am going to get Winnie something in here. I'll be right there." I I handed them the cup for Winnie and James nodded at me, and left with Harry. I went in and picked out some chocolate for Winnie, some lilies for Lily and the chess set for Harry. _He needs a gift for becoming a big brother too._ I paid for the items, and headed back upstairs. When I got to the waiting room, Remus was outside with Harry.

"Couldn't bring yourself to go in, huh?"

"Sorry Uncle Sirius, but she was yelling at Dad for taking too long, and to be honest, she was scaring me." I laughed at him.

"I remember the feeling. Here, why don't you and Remus get started on this." I took the wooden box out of the bag and handed it to him. When he lifted the lid, his eyes flew open. "Happy becoming a big brother day!" I told him.

"This is awesome. Thanks so much!" he said, standing up and hugging me for the second time that day. His eyes were dancing as he started to take the pieces out and set up the board.

"I'll be right back." I walked into the room, extracting the lilies and putting them in front of me as I entered, a sort of preemptive peace offering. "How are you doing Lil?"

"Oh, Sirius, they're lovely...." she started crying and Anwen went over to hug her. "...I'm fine. I just want this thing out of me. I want to meet my little baby." Anwen continued to hug her and looked over her friend's head and smiled at me while mouthing, "Thank you". I pulled the chocolate out of the bag and waved it at her. Her grin grew and she sent me a rather large burst of happiness. Anwen released Lily and we settled down in a chair, my wife in my lap. She immediately unwrapped the bar of Honeydukes best, and broke off a rather large piece. Chocolate was the one big craving that she had been having. Without realizing it, my hand had come to rest on the bump in her mid section, underneath her shirt. I only realized where it was when she discretely moved it away. We had yet to tell anyone, something about waiting until the third month. She was rather adamant about it.

When things finally seemed to be progressing to the point that I was sure Lily didn't want me there to see, I excused myself and went into the waiting room and played several rounds of chess with Harry and Remus. Harry had taken to the game, but was still having problems seeing the long term implications of moves. After a while, Remus took to tutoring him while he and I played, and he began to see that the easiest move now, may not produce the best long term results.

About an hour later, James emerged with a bundle in his arms. "Gentlemen, I would like you to meet Evan Andrew Potter," he said, his face beaming with pride. Wrapped tightly in the blue blanket was a cute little boy with a very round face, dark red hair and light brown eyes. _He could almost pass for a Weasley with that hair._

"Dad, that's a great name. He's named after both of his grandad's. Evan for Grandad Evans and Andrew for Grandad Potter." Harry said smiling at the baby.

"You want to hold your little brother?" James asked Harry and he nodded that he would. James placed the bundle in my godson's arms, and he looked at the little boy in awe.

"Hey Evan, I'm you're big brother Harry. I can't wait to teach you to fly, and how to ride around in the dumbwaiter at home," Harry told the baby. James looked at him and rolled his eyes.

"Clearly, the Marauder's have rubbed off on you my dear boy." We all laughed and James took back the baby and we went into the room. As I entered, I looked over at Winnie, and she was sitting in the chair by Lily. She looked as white as a sheet and she had her eyes closed. I went over and put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at me, sending me a wave of concern. I sat down on the arm of the chair, putting my arm around her. I noticed her hands clench and she swallowed hard.

"Winnie, love are you alright?" I whispered in her ear. She shook her head at me. "Do we need to be leaving?" She shook her head again. We sat there for a while, talking with our friends, but I kept an eye on my wife. Every so often, she would ball her hands together, and take a steadying breath. But she continued to sit there, talking away. The emotions I could read from here were anything but calm. She was clearly uncomfortable, and worried about something. I didn't want to make a scene, since we still hadn't told anyone that she was pregnant, but I was worried about what was happening to her. She smiled brightly when James and Lily asked Remus to be Evan's godfather. Then, she got up suddenly, and excused herself from the room. I followed her out. She inhaled deeply, her hand going to her belly.

"Argh." She cried out, doubling over in pain. Tears were streaming down her face, which continued to contort in pain. "Sirius something is wrong."

It had been a week since Winnie had lost the baby, and she was still in bed. When it happened, I had called a nurse and we had gotten her into a room down the hall from Lily, but it was too late. She had miscarried by the time the healer examined her. She surprised me with how calm she was about the whole thing, explaining that her mother had lost at least 3 babies that she knew about. _That explains why she wanted to wait to tell anyone. _Still, I couldn't help but worry about her. I brought her back home and the healer had told her to stay in bed for a week, which she had done dutifully, but she refused to see anyone, even Lily and Remus . She had another week before she was supposed to go back to work, and I knew that I needed to get her up and around. I wasn't sure what to do, but I did have an idea who could help. I was downstairs, waiting by the floo for my last hope for someone to help out my dear wife.

"Molly, thank you so much for coming over." I said, hugging my cousin's wife.

"Sirius dear, of course. I was so sorry to hear about what happened. Does she know that I'm coming over?" the Weasley matriarch said, releasing me.

"No. She wouldn't talk with Lily, I kinda thought we should just ambush her. She'll be to polite to turn you away," I told her honestly.

"Well, deception is never the best way, but since I am here, we'll go with it," she scolded me. I walked with her upstairs and knocked on our bedroom door and then turned the knob.

"Winnie, love, you've got company. Molly came over to see how you are doing." She sat up in the bed and glared at me. "Won't it be nice to have a visit with her?" She sighed as Molly was walking in. Anwen felt rather perturbed at me, but whatever hell I had to pay would be worth it, if it got my dear wife back to her old self. I excused myself and went down to the Drawing Room, waiting to see what would happen. A little less than an hour later, Molly came down the stairs. I rose and walked to the door to talk with her.

"How is she?" I asked her.

"She'll be fine. She wants to be strong, for you, but it really has hurt her. She's afraid that you're upset with her," Molly told me, taking my hand in hers.

"How could she? Oh, Molly, what have I done?"

"You didn't do anything, she just isn't sure how to deal with this. She was afraid this would happen from the start, but she didn't want to tell you and get you worried. Go talk with her. I think she'll open up to you now." I nodded at her, and she headed down the stairs as I headed up.

"Molly..." She stopped and turned to look up at me. "...thank you." She nodded and smiled at me, and we each continued on our way.

**Anwen POV:**

I could hear him on the stairs, on his way up here. I was angry at him for having Molly come over, without telling me, but I understood why he had done it. It had been good to talk with Molly, she did indeed understand what I was feeling, and she was very sympathetic. I now knew that I needed to talk with Sirius about it.

"Winnie, love, can I come in?" I heard him ask from outside the door.

"It's your room too," I replied and I saw the door creep open. He stepped in, looking at the bed, and was surprised to find it empty. I was sitting on the love seat in the adjacent sitting room. He came in and smiled at me. As he walked over towards me, I could tell that he wasn't sure where he should sit. I lifted my hand to him, indicating that I wanted him to come and sit next to me. He smiled and I could feel his relief as he settled himself down next to me. I leaned myself into him and he wrapped me up in his arms, his hand instinctively went to where the baby was. He immediately moved it away, and I could feel us both stiffen.

"Sirius, it's okay. Our baby was there; it's just not anymore," I said, finally letting myself cry. My husband said nothing, he just held me, his lips pressed against my temple. I hadn't let myself cry, I really hadn't let myself feel for the last week. I just needed to be strong because every time my eyes met my husband's, the pain and anguish that surged through him was overwhelming. I doubted that he knew he was sending it out to me. It just didn't seem fair to make him deal with my pain, when he couldn't really deal with his own. I was lost in my own thoughts, weeping for the baby that I would never hold, never know. It wasn't until I heard his breath catch that I turned around to look at him. His eyes were red and puffy as well. I felt so guilty, I had added to his burden. "I'm so sorry." I tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let me. Instead, he pulled me in closer to him, his breath caressing my face, his arms holding me tight to him.

"Anwen, love, you didn't do anything. The healer said it was just something that happened. Hey, at least we know that you can get pregnant now. " he said trying to cheer me up. I could feel that neither of us was buying it. "You haven't talked about it at all. Tell me, please. Talk with me."

"It's just...Sirius I could feel the baby...sort of the way I can feel you, and now I just feel empty."

"Oh, my sweet love, I am so sorry."

We didn't say anything else. We just sat there, for the longest time, holding one another. He didn't try to make me feel better, or try to tell me that it would be alright. He just held me, and whispered over and over that he loved me. I couldn't help but wonder if he had been reading my pain all along, and just didn't know how to acknowledge it either. The tears seemed to wash the raw pain away, and started to make my heart heal. I knew that I was going to be alright, we were going to be alright. Just one more event in a long line of events that would pull Sirius and me closer together.

Time passed, and eventually things went back to whatever normal was. The healer told me to wait for at least three months before I was to try to get pregnant again, which was fine with me, I needed to give myself time to prepare for what might happen the next time. Spring had turned to Summer, and as July came to a close, Harry was excited about turning eleven. As part of his birthday present, Sirius and I were taking him to Paris for a week. This was both a vacation and an educational trip. I wanted to take him to the Louvre, to see some works of art that we had been studying together, as well as going to the Paris Opera house. I also wanted him to have time to really use his French. He would be leaving for Hogwarts in a little over a month, and I knew that he would abandon his foreign language studies once he was there. We would also be having some fun, doing some touring and visiting famous French Wizarding places; Sirius had insisted on it. _He takes his job as the ensurer of fun and frivolity in Harry's life very seriously._

Sirius was out with James this morning on a job, but he would be home for lunch and then we would portkey into France. We had adjoining rooms booked at a French hotel, which thrilled Harry as well. He would be staying in his own room. We would of course, charm the room so that we knew if he was up too late, or doing something of which we didn't approve. I was finishing the packing, when I heard a commotion downstairs.

"Aunt Winnie, are you here?" Harry's voice rang through the hall. I sent my patronus down to him, and then closed the case and left it on the bed for Sirius to bring down when he got home. I met Harry in the drawing room.

"You have everything that you will need?" I asked him.

"Yes, Aunt Winnie. You sent me a list yesterday, and Mum made me check things off as I packed them. I remembered everything." He said, sounding rather perturbed at me.

"Alright, alright. Your Uncle didn't expect this morning to be a hard job, so he should be here any minute. I made your favorites for lunch, Steak and Kidney Pie and Treacle Tart."

"You're the best Aunt Winnie." My honorary godson beamed at me. "I am so excited to be getting away. Evan screams all night lately. Mum says that he's mixed up his days and nights."

"That happens with babies sometimes Harry. I promise, we will let you get your sleep, but if you misbehave, I'll make you get up and run with me in the morning," I told him.

"Please, don't. Dad has made me get up and start running with him every day. It's awful. Why do all of you train the way you do?" he asked me. Since we had learned about the prophecy five years ago, everyone had adopted a rather strict regiment of exercise and dueling practice. Lily had even kept up with it, well into her third trimester.

"Helps keep us young, my dear boy. Anyway, I need to keep in shape for my job, as do your Dad and Uncle Sirius. More than one of the curses they were trying to break had them running for cover," I told him, trying to divert him from the truth.

"How are things at the Ministry? Do you like the new Minister?" he asked me.

"He's fine Harry. I've known Minister Fudge for years. Work is fine as well." I had just basically lied to Harry, but he really didn't need to know that my department had been cut, again, and that I personally thought that the Minister was a moron. It didn't even take into account my feelings about how he had behaved with Sirius for all those years. Thankfully, my answer seemed to placate the boy.

"Um, Aunt Winnie, while we are in Paris, I need your help with something." he said quietly.

"Okay. What do you need my help with Harry?" I asked him.

"Well, you see, Ginny's birthday is right after mine, and she's feeling kind of bad, because Ron and I are going away to Hogwarts this fall – well at least I think I am – and she is staying home. I wanted to get her something special for her birthday, but, I don't know what to get a girl." I smiled at him. He really was a very thoughtful little boy.

"Of course, we can find something for her, just remember, she isn't the girliest of girls. Nothing with lace or frills or anything."

"Of course not Aunt Winnie." He said throwing his hands in the air. "She climbs trees better than Ron, isn't afraid of snakes or spiders or anything and you should see her fly. No, she's too cool to be a girly girl." I had to stifle a laugh.

"Okay, I get it. I am sure that we can find something. And just so you know, I am going to be spending some of my Saturday's with Ginny, much like you and I have. She heard me talking with her Mum about what we do, and she asked if I would take her sometime. I told her that I thought it would be a wonderful idea. Plus, Evan is going to spend one day a week with Molly and Ginny while your Mum is out working with Remus and the infected children."

"Good, I'm glad that she won't be stuck at home with Mrs. Weasley all of the time. She's nice, but she can be a little strict. Ginny needs to have fun too," Harry told me. I smiled and nodded at him. Just then, I heard my husband yell up from the lower level.

"I've asked him not to bellow like that," I sighed. "Well, it sounds like your Uncle is home. Come on, let's go get some lunch and then we can be off to Paris." He jumped up and smiled at me and we headed downstairs.

Several weeks later, Sirius and I were sitting in the yard at the Burrow, the family home of the Weasley's. We were there to celebrate Ginny's 10th birthday. All of the kids were flying around. Harry had brought his birthday present from his godfather – I didn't approve of it at all. Sirius had insisted on buying Harry a real broom, a Nimbus 2000. I thought he was too young, since he couldn't take the broom with him to school, and Lily nearly hexed him; but Sirius reminded us that he needed to not only spoil him – being his godfather and all – but also to ensure that he would have fun. I had given Harry an old potions book, written in Latin, and his first cauldron. His mother and father had gotten him a beautiful white owl, named Hedwig, so that Harry could write home; as well as a set of charmed mirrors that would allow him to call home quickly if he needed to. I could have sworn that I saw them while we were at school, something that my darling husband and his best friend had used with each other. Like Sirius' dating history, I had tried very hard to block out the more questionable behavior of my husband and his friends. Remus had given him a wand holster as well as a special box that he could lock away special items he wanted to keep safe from anyone else. It would only open with Harry's magical hand print.

Sirius and I were sharing a large deck chair smiling at Harry, zooming around. "See, I told you it was a good gift," Sirius gloated while we sat there.

"Yes, dear. You were right," I said patting his hand. Lily was still not sure, but James was laughing at him.

"Anwen, I was sorry to hear about what happened at work. Do you know where you are being re-assigned?" Arthur came over, taking a seat on a bench nearby.

"I knew this was coming from the time that Cornelius took over. He has been stripping our department down for the last year, until all that was left was King, Edie and I. When he reassigned Edie, King and I both knew that it wouldn't be long before we were going back to the regular Auror department. At least he didn't try to strip us of our Senior status," I said rolling my eyes. "I'm going to be doing some teaching this fall, and thankfully, I only have three duty shifts a week." I hadn't been on the rotating schedule in five years, and I wasn't really happy about having to go back on, but it was made clear to us that if we did not, we could look for work elsewhere.

"I still don't understand what possessed Fudge to disband you. From what I read, you've actually captured more former Death Eaters than the rest of the department," James said.

"True as that may be, the reason comes in the form of two words. Lucius. Malfoy. He's been in and out of Fudge's office since he took over. We were getting close to finding where his excess funds had gone to, by shutting us down, the Malfoy money is safe. I am sure the two are related," I said, feeling myself getting angry just at the thought. Sirius sent me a calming wave and I let it wash over me. I took a deep breath and then changed the topic. "Guess who's going to be in my first class this year?"

I asked everyone, and no one had an answer. "Dora, although she is going by Tonks, just Tonks, now. I didn't realize that she was old enough, but she's 17. I can't wait to see how she does in my Transfiguration class, I'm assuming that she will test right out of it on the first day, being a metamorph and all. Legal Theory may be harder on her."

"Are you teaching anything else?" Lily asked, shifting two month old Evan under the blanket. She was feeding him and he needed to switch sides.

"No, just Transfiguration and Law. I will however be working with King on Dueling. He's teaching Defense and Charms. Mad–Eye is still doing the overall training. For right now, it's just the three of us," I replied. "Usually, we have someone from the Magical Law Enforcement Department teach the law, but with Amelia's promotion, we don't have anyone who can do it, so it falls to me."

We talked about some other things at the Ministry, as well as what to expect with the kids heading off to school this year. Lily needed to get up and grab her gift for Ginny, and I offered to hold Evan for her. I snuggled the little boy to me, and started to hum to him. Sirius brought his chin to my shoulder and quietly said: "We'll have one, love, soon we'll have our own baby." and then kissed my temple. I nodded at him and held Evan closer.

Ginny opened her gifts, and was very surprised to find a special gift from Harry. His parents didn't know about it, he had asked me to keep it secret. We had gone shopping one morning while Sirius was still sleeping, and had found what Harry considered the perfect gift for his friend. She unwrapped the box, and found inside a small green velvet bag.

"It's a charmed bag. Once we set the spell on it, you will be the only person who can open it. Aunt Winnie said that she will help you put the charm on it, since I can't yet. It came from Paris." Harry told her. Ginny blushed greatly. "I wanted you to have a place to hide things away from your brothers," Harry told her quietly.

"Thanks, it's really neat Harry." She touched his arm, and they both blushed. My eyes met Lily's and I just smiled at her.

"When did you do that?" Sirius whispered to me.

"When you were sleeping. See what spending the morning in bed makes you miss?" I answered him.

"You didn't seem to mind the morning in bed today, dear."

"Okay, you miss things when you spend the morning alone in bed," I corrected myself. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, and kissed me lightly behind my ear.

A few weeks later, it was September and I found myself on board the Hogwarts Express. I had volunteered to work today. It was the best way that I could see Harry off without seeming like an overprotective Aunt. Plus, by taking this shift, I got out of working a night shift later in the week. King and I both agreed that this was a much, much better duty. Fortunately, the new head Auror, Rufus Scrimgemour, recognized that we were far more qualified than to be on regular rotation, and gave us our pick of prime jobs before posting them. I got off the train and went to talk with King, who was patrolling on the platform.

"No Dark magic on the train. In fact, there is almost no magic at all on the train. The conductor's signature is rather dim." I told him, hopping down off the train.

"Well, that's good. Things are clear out here as well." he said in his deep voice. I would never tell Sirius, but I loved to listen to my partner talk, his voice was like velvet.

"Hey, this is better than night duty. I struggled to stay awake the last time we ended up with third shift on Diagon Alley," I said, coming to stand next to him. We had our backs to one of the support structures, he looking off to the left, I off to the right.

"I remember. I couldn't believe how much coffee you drank that night." he teased me.

"Well, the Dark magic level of the whole platform just changed. Look what just slithered in," I said, pointing off to the far right. King turned his head and saw the tall, blond man walking down next to the train with an equally blond boy next to him.

"Keep your calm Anwen," he warned me.

"Don't worry, I will," I said calmly.

"Why Aurors Hodgson-Black, Shakebolt, what brings you here today?" Lucius Malfoy sneered at us.

"Just ensuring that the Hogwart's Express is safe for the children headed to school today. Checked it over myself, to make sure that it's free from Dark magic." I took a step towards him. "Aren't you glad to know..." I took another step "...that the children are safe on the train..." I took another step. He started trying to back up, but King had maneuvered himself behind the elder Malfoy, his back turned, looking down the way. "...and that nothing evil will befall them while they travel?" I took another step. He looked very uncomfortable.

"And where is your husband today?" he spat out at me.

"Why, he's at work. He and James have come up with a new ward. Whenever someone with the Dark Mark comes near it..." I took another step, I was now just inches away from him. "...a Caterwauling Charm goes off, and the Mark prevents them from crossing through." I leaned in and whispered; "I wonder how it would react to you?" And then I turned and took a few steps back. Malfoy senior said nothing, just took his son by the sleeve and ushered him away. I felt like spitting or cursing him, but decided against it.

"Very intimidating there Anwen. For someone so little, you're quite frightening," King said.

"Believe me, I know not to get on her bad side." I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. I turned around and saw my beautiful husband, James, Lily and Harry walking toward us. I was on duty, so I couldn't greet him properly, but I did send my husband a rather warm wave of happiness. He cocked a half smile at me, and I found myself biting my lip. I was roused from my trance by a retching noise coming from Harry.

"Oh, yuck. First my parents, and now the two of you. Do any of you remember that you are grown ups? You're supposed to act old," he complained.

"Someday you are going to find someone to make eyes at, and you won't think it's so gross," Sirius said. "And when you do, I have a whole bunch of tips for you," he added in a whisper. I hit his shoulder with the back of my hand.

"Ignore him, please. Are you ready to go?" I asked Harry.

"Yeah. I just wish I could take my broom." His parents both shook their heads no at him. _That's actually a little hypocritical of them, since his father gave me my first broom in my first year._ Just then, we heard a rather loud voice, and we turned to see Molly Weasley attempting to herd a rather large group of redheaded children towards us.

"Oh, there they are. This may be the first time that we're early," Molly said. "But, I understand why Harry wants to get on that train before anyone else. We saw the Prophet the other day, with that ridiculous story about him. Why they are hounding a little boy that way..."

"I am not a little boy," Harry interrupted rather emphatically.

"Harry, you do not interrupt adults when they are speaking. Tell Mrs. Weasley that you are sorry," Lily reprimanded him.

"I am sorry Mrs. Weasley," Harry said loudly. "But I'm still not a little boy." He added under his breath. Sirius leaned down to him. "I know your not kiddo," he whispered at him. Harry looked up at his godfather's face and smiled at him. I couldn't help but grin at the two of them.

We stood there talking for a moment, and then another loud, but this time shrill voice broke us from our stupor. "Well, if it isn't the Boy Who Lived in the flesh!" It was Rita Skeeter.

"We'll deal with her, you get the boys on the train," I said, walking over to King. He and I went to intercept her, keeping her as far away from Harry and his parents as long as we could. We demanded to see her credentials and then inspected her quick quotes quill, and by the time we were done, all of the kids were safely on the train, and the adults were once again gathered around the same archway.

"Oh, we're so sorry. It would appear that Harry is on the train already, and as you are well aware, adults are not allowed on the train. Thanks so very much for your patience," Kingsley said in the smoothest voice he had. She was fuming as she walked away, grumbling under her breath. We walked over and joined the rest of the adults.

"Everyone on the train alright?" I asked. Lily nodded, tears in her eyes. I stepped towards her and hugged her. "Lils, he's gonna be fine. Albus will make sure that he is safe while he's away from us," I whispered at her. When I let go of her I asked, "Where is Evan?"

"Remus is babysitting him. I can't wait to see what we find when we get home," she told me. I nodded at her and smiled. We talked for a few more minutes, and then King and I did another sweep, not finding anything on the platform. At quarter to eleven, I went back on board, and did one more walk through on the train, still finding nothing to worry about. On my way out of the train, I popped my head into the compartment that Harry, Ron and the twins were in and said goodbye. Harry waved at me and then shooed me away. I nodded and walked off the train.

A few minutes later, the clock struck eleven and the train began to pull away. Harry James Potter had left for his first year at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello my lovely readers, here it is, the next chapter, a day early! Since there have been so many alerts added, I figured that I would add this early -- some reviews to go with the alerts would be wonderful! Enjoy this chapter, there's a little bit of everything in it. Songs for this chapter: "Crying for the World" by Eden's Bridge, "River" by Sarah MacLachlan and "Mad Russian's Christmas" by the Trans Siberian Orchestra. There is a small scene in this chapter that was an actual event from my real life. Anyone who can figure it out, I'll email you a little surprise, a preview of the next chapter. Thanks again for everyone who is reading and enjoying this story. I don't own these characters, but I do so enjoy playing with them. Mutt**

**Chapter 2:**

**Remembering**

**Sirius POV:**

"Winnie, love, what is all of this stuff?" I said, carrying a large box in that had arrived from Canada a few days before. My darling wife had asked that it come upstairs into the drawing room, but she wanted it carried, not apparated or summoned, or levitated, so I was acting as a pack animal. I had yelled up to her, she was still on the third floor. I heard her gentle footfall on the stairs, coming towards me.

"I have asked you, begged you, not to bellow in the house. These are the Christmas ornaments that I made as a child. My mother packed all of them up when she was going through them this year. She gave Liddy hers as well, so she and Steven can use them for their first Christmas tree," Anwen smiled at me, opening the box. I had asked Kreacher to take care of the tree, and he had done a magnificent job, much to my surprise. The tree was tall and straight and looked just right between the two large windows facing out onto the street in this room. The old house elf had really come around, a little, in the last few years. _It has only been because of the persistence of my dear, sweet wife. She is kind and gentle with him, and I think that he has decided that perhaps, she isn't evil after all. He actually seems to enjoy when she is excited about something that he had done._

Anwen had begun taking items out of the box, and was unwrapping them, inspecting and smiling at each item. I knelt down next to her, and started looking at the things she was taking out.

"Love, what is this?" I asked, picking up something that I thought was supposed to be Father Christmas, but I really wasn't sure. It was made out of an item that I did not recognize.

"Um, well, it's Father Christmas darling," she said, rather embarrassed.

"What in the world is it made from?"

"It's an electric light bulb. See, it's turned upside down, the threads are the neck and I glued the little hat on the top, and glued the beard on down here. I drew the face on it," she said, gingerly moving the item around in her hands.

"And your family hung this on their tree?" I asked her. I had never in my life seen anything quite like it.

"Yes, I made it when I was like 5. My mother loved all of these things that we had made as children. See, she marked the year on it." I looked and sure enough, there was a small '1968' scrawled next to her name, on the bottom of the thing. "She prized each and every one. With Liddy getting married this year, she decided that it was important for us to all have our own box," my wife sighed. "Didn't you ever make things like this, well I mean you wouldn't have used a light bulb, but you must have made decorations?" she asked me, her face innocently questioning me.

"No, I never went to primary school, and I had few friends as a child. Reg was pretty much the only playmate I had. It wasn't until I met James when we were eight that I had an actual friend. The family tree was decorated in only green and silver and mother decorated it herself. Winnie, I don't have a box of memories like this," I told her quietly. _I had tried not to think about my childhood, my life was so much happier now._

"I'm sorry darling, I didn't mean to make you upset," she whispered, taking my face between her hands.

"You didn't love, I was just reminded of how much better things are in my life now," I confessed. "Come on now, please show me what else is in this box. Tell me about your Christmases as a little girl," I said, taking her hands in mine and holding them to my chest. I loved Anwen's family dearly, much more than I had ever loved my own. I enjoyed hearing about her family things.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be sad Sirius. We can just put this stuff away, and get out the other decorations that we've gotten over the last few years."

"No. I like these, they are...original." I twinkled at her, and she leaned over and kissed me gently. We began unpacking the box, and she would tell me the stories behind each of them. I never grew tired of listening to her talk about being a very little girl. Her childhood was so happy, and even once she had started studying in London, these were the days before she grew to resent her voice and the expectations that people had put on her. After a long while, we began decorating the tree, and the conversation turned from the ornaments to other things.

"So, you haven't been able to figure out how that troll got into the castle?" I asked her. Anwen had been on duty the night that a Mountain Troll had gotten into Hogwarts and my daring godson had decided to go after it, with only two other first years with him. How they had defeated it, was beyond the understanding of any of us.

"It would have had to be let in. When I was summoned there, I quickly flew around, hoping that I would find a magical signature left behind, but there was nothing to be found," she said, gently tying a small glistening ball to the tree. "Of course, if someone had just opened the door, there wouldn't be a magical signature," she added.

"Do you agree with the Minister that it was just a fluke that the Troll was near Hogwarts?" I asked her, silently counting in my head for the explosion that was about to set my wife off.

"Of course not!" she yelled. "That particular troll was from the central highlands, nearly 150 miles away; and since when did any troll travel that far from home, all on it's own. It's not like they are the smartest of creatures. Furthermore, they don't even hunt on their own, they are always at least in pairs. No, it was summoned to Hogwarts and let into the castle. Even as a magical creature, Hogwarts would have been difficult to find, what with all the wards on it. Fudge is an idiot if he thinks the whole thing was some sort of odd accident," she said, putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot. _I would never tell her, but I found it oddly entertaining when she lost her temper at the people she worked with, and got herself worked up over it._

"So, do you have a theory?" I asked her, fully expecting that she did.

"If truth be told, I don't." _Well, that was unexpected. Winnie always has a theory._ "What bothers me, is that it seems that perhaps Harry was meant to run into the troll. I mean, between the strange events of Halloween night, and the events at that stupid Quidditch match, I don't know. It would seem to me that the only common denominator is Harry. I still am not sure what it means, but it really has me bothered. King agrees with me, just so you know."

"I hope that you are wrong," I told her candidly. "We both know what it means if someone is targeting him." She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I wound my arms around her back and pulled her to me.

"I do, love, I do. He's not ready yet. We've done what we can, but he's just not ready. We don't even know what power the prophecy is talking about," she said quietly into my chest.

"Shh, it's okay love. Albus is keeping him safe at school," I told her.

"He didn't do such a good job on Halloween or at the Quidditch match. James was furious," she reminded me, her voice sounding harder. I didn't want her upset, not today, not while we were decorating the Christmas tree. I dropped the topic of conversation for now, knowing that it would be in the forefront when we got to the Manor to celebrate Christmas next week.

"Alright now," I said, releasing her after I kissed her gently, "do you have anything else left to put on this tree?"

"No, the box is empty. Are you going to light it?" she asked smiling brightly.

"I am certainly going to try. You've been working me hard enough on how to do this, I do hope that it works." I lifted my hand, and closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling my magic flow through me. Anwen not only sent me a burst of confidence, but a surge of magical power. Then I pictured the tree lit with fairy lights. I opened my eyes, and was delighted to find that it had worked.

"Sirius, you finally did it. You did wandless magic!" she screamed happily. Her excitement coursed through me. We had grown accustomed to feeling each others emotions over the last six years, but when one of us felt something strongly, we could still be surprised by the effusive rush. We had been working on my wandless magic skills for the last year. This was the first time that I had done magic, without holding onto my wand, although it was in the holster on my belt. Anwen threw her arms around me and kissed me hard, of which I happily returned; within a few minutes, my hands had found their way under her shirt and she had completely unbuttoned mine. She was peppering my chest with kisses, her hands moving across my back and then down to my bum.

"So, where shall we take this celebration? The love seat? The arm chair was interesting. Perhaps our room?" I questioned her. Anwen lifted her head and looked at me with the most delightfully wicked grin.

"How about we visit the tub on this floor? That was a very, very wonderful place," she added slyly while kissing and licking my earlobe. I moaned at not only what she was doing, but at remembering the last time we had used the tub. I lifted my wife up and carried her down the hall.

A week later, we were packing for our vacation. It was December 22, and we would be leaving to spend Christmas at Potter Manor. The day after Christmas, we would again be headed to Monaco, to celebrate our Anniversary. It was now our tradition to return to our small flat there annually, Anwen and I enjoyed the privacy. It was harder for her to get the time off this year, but King and Mad–Eye had agreed to cover her shifts so that she could get away. Anwen, being organized and efficient, had everything ready to go by late morning. I on the other hand, had never found the need to get ready early. I was still trying to pack things up. _I don't know what the worry is about here anyhow, it's not like we're going to be dressed for most of our trip._

Once I had finished, I went to find Anwen. She was standing in front of one of the large windows in the drawing room, next to the tree, staring out the window, but looking at nothing. I walked up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist and leaned my chin down on her shoulder. "Knut for your thoughts," I whispered to her. She tipped her head towards me, and I kissed her it lightly.

"Look, it's snowing, there might be a white Christmas in London," she tried to sound happy, but her voice had a melancholy to it.

"We don't have to go out to Scotland. We could spend a quiet Christmas here, at home."

"No, I like being with the family. It's just pleasant to see the snow here," she softly replied and then went back to looking out the window. "Are you done packing?"

"Yup, we can be leaving when you're ready. Kreacher has already taken everything to Monaco that needs to go, and the flat is ready for us to arrive on the twenty-sixth. Are you ready to leave?" I asked her, stroking her arm with mine. She still seemed a million miles away.

"I am, the crate with the gifts went over this morning by floo, so all we need is our luggage. Lily is thrilled that we can spend a few days with them. James has called a family meeting for tonight. I guess we don't need to wonder about what the topic will be." She pulled herself out of my arms and headed toward the door.

"Winnie, love, stop for a moment." She stopped and turned on her heels to look at me. As I looked at my wife, I couldn't quite figure out what it was, but there was something off. I took several hesitant steps towards her and took her hands. "Are you sure that you are okay, you seem a little, I don't know, off."

"Sirius, I'm fine. There was a flu going around at work this week, maybe I picked up a touch of it. Since I don't have anything to do later, maybe I'll take a nap," she smiled at me, kissed me lightly and then turned and walked from the room. The look on her face, and the tears wetting her eyes haunted me as she left.

We arrived at Potter Manor just before lunch. Harry had been home from school for several days, and at his mother's insistence, had finished all of his homework already. He was going to do some studying with Anwen after the first of the year, but for now, his life was full of free time. James and I had taken no jobs on for this week, and we were hoping that none of our clients would have emergencies that would require immediate action. We had just gone through a full moon, so Lily and Remus even had time off from their work. When we finished eating, Anwen excused herself, and said that she was going to go and rest. As she left the room, Lily looked at me concerned.

"Is everything alright?" she asked me quietly.

"She says it is. Maybe coming down with something?" I told her quietly. "Let's see if some quiet does her some good." I turned my head to look at my godson. "So, there is about a foot of new snow out there, how about we go out and have some fun in it." There was a twinkle in Harry's eyes as I suggested it. "Maybe we should take the dogs out." We had brought Molly over with us, as she would be spending the week while we were away with the Potters. Harry's dog, Blackie, was lounging in his favorite chair, but immediately ran into the kitchen when he heard the word 'dog'. Molly followed, although with her advancing age, much more slowly.

"Really, take the dogs out into the snow. Sounds like a brilliant plan Uncle Sirius. Let me get my boots," Harry said, sprinting up from the table. James and Remus laughed at me, and Lily shook her head, but I was looking forward to having a fun afternoon now.

**Anwen POV:**

I had gone upstairs to rest, and did indeed have a rather pleasant nap, but I just couldn't shake the cloud that was hanging over me today. _In a way, I'm thankful that Sirius didn't remember what today was. It would have been that much harder. I just need to get through the day, and then I hope tomorrow will be better._ I got up from the bed, and straightened the bed linens up and headed downstairs. Lily told me that Harry had gone outside to "play with the dogs." I groaned quite loudly at her and rolled my eyes, and went to the back door. I sent my patronus out to summon them in, and stood in the warm to watch for their return. From off near the forest, I saw Harry running toward the door, his black lab on his right, poor old Molly on his left and the mangiest black mutt I'd ever seen running circles around all of them, jumping into snow drifts and generally getting all of them covered in snow. _Is he ever going to grow up?_ As they neared the door, I opened it.

"Make sure that Blackie and Molly are dried off before you let them in the house. Your mother doesn't need that kind of mess a few days before Christmas," I told Harry and he nodded at me, grabbing an old towel to clean their paws off and dry them. "Sirius, get in here now," I said in a firm voice. The large black dog that was my husband came bounding into the room, shook himself off, getting snow everywhere. Then, he stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on my shoulders and licked my face. His paws were all wet and he smelled bad.

"Sirius Black, I asked you, repeatedly, Not. To. Do. That!" The dog just stood there with a goofy, lopsided grin on his face, its gray eyes dancing in the light at me. I picked the paws up off my shoulders and dropped them to the floor. "Change yourself over. You are not going to make a mess of Lily's house." Sirius did so. His clothes were soaked and his hair was wet and stringy. He was muddy up to his knees. "Take your shoes off and then get upstairs and shower and change. You know, it's hard to believe that you're 32. I swear, Harry is more mature than you are."

"Oh now love, you know you find my childish nature endearing," he said, kissing my cheek and then slipping his feet out of his muddy shoes. I shook my head at him as he headed upstairs. I walked back into the kitchen where Lily was working on dinner. "Anything I can do to help?" I asked her.

"Not right now, but thanks," she replied. Just then, the alarm charm that she had set on the nursery went off, chiming to tell us that Evan was awake. "Oh shoot. Anwen, would you mind going up and getting Evan? He's just getting up from his nap." I sighed mentally, _this isn't going to help_.

"Sure Lils. Does he need a bottle?" I questioned.

"Yes, there are some in the fridge." I nodded at her and went and got a bottle from the refrigerator and headed upstairs. The nursery looked the same as when Harry was a little boy. Harry now had a room down the hall. I lifted Evan from his crib and kissed his sweet little head. His hair was nearly the same color as his mother's, but his face was round and had soft brown eyes like his dad's, and had a beautiful smile that reminded me of Harry's. I quickly changed his nappy, and then warmed his bottle with a charm and settled down in the rocker to feed him. When he finished, I held him over my shoulder to burp him, then we sat there, Evan playing quietly on my lap for a few minutes.

"I wondered what was taking so long, he usually gobbles his bottle right down," Lily commented as she came into the room.

"He did, we were just playing quietly," I told her as I stroked Evan's head. He was holding a teether that looked like a little dragon, with bumpy parts where the ridge of spikes was on the back.

"Winnie, what's wrong? You've been quiet since you got here, and now you're sitting alone with the baby. You didn't even loose your temper at Sirius for going out in the snow this afternoon," she said. I looked at her, and I could tell that she was indeed concerned. I contemplated what I was going to say for a moment and then took a deep breath.

"Do you know what today was?" I asked her. She shook her head no. "Today..." I started. I took a wavering breath to steady myself, "...today was my due date. It was going to be a Christmas baby," I told her, my eyes filling with tears. "It was what I was so looking forward to, giving Sirius a child, his child. I don't think he remembered." I had to stop again, trying to calm myself down from a full blown crying jag. "He hasn't said anything, and I don't want to make him upset today...so, please don't say anything."

"Just because I didn't say anything, doesn't mean I didn't remember, love," a voice said from the doorway. Sirius was leaning against the door frame, his hair wet, wearing a Molly Weasley original sweater and a pair of jeans. _She takes the whole "family gift" thing to a unique level._ He walked in the room and knelt down next to me. "I remembered, this morning when I got I up, I thought of it, and sadness passed through me. I tried very hard to hide it from you, since you were so sad about loosing the baby I didn't want to cause you any more pain." Lily came over and took Evan from my arms and walked out of the room. When they were gone, Sirius lifted me from the chair, sat down in it, and then pulled me down with him.

"I wondered if that was why you were so quiet today." I nodded at him. "If it's too much to be here, we can leave for Monaco now, or we can get an International Portkey and go visit your family in Canada. They're at Liddy and Steven's house for the holiday's right?" Sirius was stroking my back with one hand, while his other was wrapped tightly around my waist.

"Yes, they are, but it's okay. It's not being here that's the problem, it's just that..." I inhaled deeply. "...Sirius I'm so scared. We're back to trying, and it's been a few months, and nothing has happened, which makes me sad but then I'm also relieved, because I am terrified of getting pregnant and then, maybe loosing another baby." The words sort of tumbled out of me, and I was crying in earnest now.

"Love, why didn't you tell me you were so scared?" he asked. I didn't have an answer for him. "Look at me," he commanded politely, and I turned my head so that it was nearly touching his. "Whatever happens, we are in this together. When the time is right, it will happen. When you do get pregnant again, we'll make sure that you do everything the right way, so that you and the baby can be as safe as possible. And if for some reason we loose another baby, I will still love you and want you and need you with me." I nodded my head at him and he pulled me closer to him, so that my head was on his shoulder. I cried for a few moments more, and then got myself calmed back down. "Now, since we are trying to start a family, I think that we should go and make good use of the time that we have alone this afternoon," my husband told me, his voice thick with desire.

"Really, we shouldn't let this opportunity be wasted," I said nodding at him. I slid myself off of his lap and stood up. He followed suit and we walked from the nursery down the hall to our room.

**Sirius POV:**

It was later that night, and we were all sitting around the drawing room. We were all enjoying an after dinner and dessert drink. Lily had made lasagna for dinner, and I had eaten more than my fair share. Anwen and I were sitting on the love seat, she had just come back from putting Evan down to bed. I had stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening to her sing the little guy to sleep. There was a feeling of contentment that had washed over her and spilled out onto me since our conversation this afternoon.

"Okay, I do have some information to pass on from Albus, but before we get to that, I have another little issue to address," James started. He took a deep breath, and then continued. "This afternoon, Harry came downstairs, and asked me if there was something wrong with you Sirius," he said, turning his head toward me. I looked at him with a fully confused expression on my face. _Nothing was wrong, we were having a good day here. Snowball fight and then romp in the snow, good talk with Anwen, excellent shag with Anwen, delicious dinner. Nope, everything was beyond good, I was happy._ "Um, he heard you grunting upstairs and asked if there was anything wrong." _Oh no._ "I told him that you were exercising." A wicked smile was breaking out across his face, and Remus and Lily were beginning to laugh. "Now, we all are used to how...enthusiastic you and Anwen are about your relationship..." he was laughing now. "...but when you're here, could you please remember the silencing charm? I know that at some point in the near future, I am going to have the 'little wizard' talk with Harry, but I would prefer that it not be while he's eleven and because Harry heard his godfather and his wife enjoying their married life." All three of them were laughing hard. I didn't have to look at Anwen to know what she was feeling, a complete embarrassment had come over her, and she had pulled her sweater up over her head. My cheeks were flushed, but there was a time when Prongs, Moony or that rat, would walk in on me with whomever I was with that week; it had been a while however, and this was new territory for Anwen. I put my arm around her, but she shrugged it off. Everyone else was still laughing.

"I am so sorry," a little muffled voice came out of the sweater sitting next to me. "James, Lily, I promise that nothing like this will happen again while we are in your house." I must have made a face at the idea, because they all roared even louder, which made Anwen shrink into herself even further. When their laughter finally died down, she was willing to pull her head back out, no longer turtling herself in her embarrassment. Anwen still wouldn't lift her head up and look at anyone in the face. _It's so cute how embarrassed she got, I rather like it._

"Alright, now that we have that cleared up..." James said, then cleared his throat. "...there is important information that we need to discuss. Albus confirmed two things this week. First, there has been another unicorn death in the forbidden forest. Hagrid is quite upset, and he isn't sure what to do to ensure their safety. The herd is slowly being picked off."

"Look, we all know what the singular use of Unicorn Blood is. Can any of us think of ANYONE else who would want to be kept alive in that way?" Remus asked. I knew that he was trying to cover all the bases, but I was sure that we were all thinking that it was indeed Voldemort.

"No, we can't," Anwen replied. "Couple that with the break in at Gringotts, and we can be fairly sure that it was Voldemort, trying to get his body back. There hasn't been anything at work, and King and I have maneuvered ourselves so that any suspicious Death Eater activities or even suspected activities will pass over our desks." Her voice and tone always changed when she talked about her work. She got so much more serious than her usual cheerful demeanor.

"We're sure that the stone is safe, right? I mean, Albus got it out of Gringotts just in time. He can't get hold of it, if he does, he can brew the elixir and then..." Lily said, stopping short. We all knew what it meant if Voldemort got hold of the stone.

"He says that it is; he's employed the entire staff to help protect it, and James and I were there helping with some warding as well." I said.

"In addition, the Mirror has been taken from the Department of Mysteries and moved to Hogwarts. I'm not sure how he's planning on using it, but I was on the team that took it over," Anwen said, finally relaxing a little and leaning into me.

"Okay, so, what's our next step?" James asked. We all sat there, looking around: at the floor, the Christmas Tree, the decorations on the walls, the snow on the windowsills. Anywhere but at each other.

"I think we have to consider telling Harry," Remus said.

"No! He's still a little boy," Lily said firmly. "He hasn't figured out what any of this means, he just thinks he's on some sort of grand adventure. Can't we please let him have a little longer as a child?" she pleaded. James wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him on the couch. "For now, we will keep from telling him, however, that could change fairly quickly Lil. Do we agree?" We all nodded.

"James, I had an idea. What if we were to give him this." Anwen said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a pendant on a chain. I immediately recognized it as the charmed necklace that I gave her in Hogsmeade during the first war. "We could add it to the leather strap that holds his portkey around his neck. I need to update the portkey anyway, so it wouldn't be too hard to do. We could simply say that it was to help keep him safe. I don't think after the fall he's had, he would question why we were doing it."

"It's a good idea; it's not like it would put him at any greater risk than he's at already. The Order doesn't really exist right now, at least not the way it did 10 years ago, and if he ever was captured, they'd take him straight to Voldemort anyway," James added. Lily winced at his comment. The weight of what we were talking about suddenly made the room heavy and the air thick. It had been almost six years since we had first talked about any of this, first started dealing with the eventual return of Voldemort, but the events of the last four months had brought to us the sudden awareness that it was happening, and it was happening soon. No one said anything, we just sat there, each lost in their own thought.

"Well, I think we need to lighten the mood in here a little, it is Christmas after all. Who would like to duel me tomorrow?" Anwen said, throwing her little arms up. We all groaned in unison, no one wanted to duel my wife, because no matter how good we got, she was still better. "Okay, fine. No one has to duel me, just as long as you all recognize that I am the queen," she added as she buffed her nails against her shirt. The tension in the room was broken, and the conversation lifted. Not much later, we decided to turn in. The house was quiet when I went to embrace my wife.

"Oh no you don't, we'll have none of that while we are in this house. I was serious when I said it." Anwen said, trying to untangle herself from my arms.

"Hey, I thought I was Sirius."

"Do you have any idea how tired that joke is? Give it up, we ALL know that your name is Sirius, with i's, and it sounds like serious, with an ous," she groaned.

"Alright, alright. Can you at least give me a good night kiss?" I asked her. She leaned over and kissed my cheek, and then curled herself up on the far side of the bed.

"Anwen, that's a kiss you give your grandfather, I am your husband. Come on, get over here and at least give me a proper kiss goodnight and then we can go to sleep."

"No funny business mister, or you will find yourself sleeping downstairs on the couch. As good as you have gotten with your curse breaking, you still can't bust one of my wards, even with your new enhanced skills," she warned me.

"Fine, fine," I agreed and she slid herself over to me, and settled herself into me and brought her lips to mine.

**Anwen POV:**

On the morning of the twenty-third, I awoke as early as I always did, and gently slid myself from both my husbands arms and the warm bed that we had shared. It was just before dawn, and I was up to get on with my run. Since I had gone back onto active duty I had decided to run every day, for my strength and stamina. I put on my running clothes and crept from the house, for I was sure that no one was awake yet. As I stepped outside I placed a warming charm on myself and a nonskid charm on my trainers.

I enjoyed running in the cold of winter. It was invigorating, and even in London, there was rarely anyone up at this hour, and I was afforded privacy that was sometimes lacking in the rest of my life. I put my headphones on, and turned on the portable cassette tape player. I had my usual running music in, a band from America that my brother had turned me on to when we were there for Thanksgiving, called "Nirvana." It was apparently something called "grunge". The name mystified me, but I liked the music – it was kind of like punk, if most punk musicians could play their instruments and had a sense of melody and lyrics. I set off on my loop around the property. I knew that if I ran just inside the wards, I would run slightly more than my usual distance.

While I ran, I got thinking about my family. My parents had sold the dairy farm that they were settled into when they were first moved to Canada. My Da was just getting too old, and he wanted to relax. He and my Ma had bought a small bed and breakfast farther south in Ontario, along the Niagara River. It was a beautiful place, and they had a steady clientele. Liddy had gotten married, and she and her husband were both teachers at the local high school. I don't think that I had ever seen my sister so happy. Her wedding had been held at the inn my parents ran, with the reception in the garden. _As wonderful as my wedding to Sirius was, it was a bit of an overwhelming event. I envied my sister for the small, intimate affair that she had been able to have._

My brother, Islwyn, had really taken to North American hockey, and was playing for a feeder team for a pro club. He was a great defenseman; big, fast and fearless. I was awed at how well he played when we went to see a game. He stood taller than Sirius now, and outweighed him by a significant amount.

Haf was in his second year of High School, unfortunately for him, the same one that Liddy and Steven taught at. From what my mother had said, he didn't get away with much having his family on staff there. I got the feeling that this was a good thing, he was far too similar to my husband and his friends for his own good.

Of all of my siblings, I knew little Eira the least. She was just 14 now, but we had never lived together. By the time she was born, Sirius had already bought the flat. The surprising thing was that she was the only one of my siblings that turned out to be magical. She was attending a Canadian Wizarding and Witchcraft Academy. Sirius and I had gone to visit the school, and enjoyed our visit with the Headmistress, Madame Oakley. I had brought her greetings from Albus, as well as an invitation to visit Hogwarts at her leisure. We were both impressed at Eira's skills, although she didn't appear to be a visualist or capable of wandless magic, she was quite powerful all on her own, gifted in Charms and Potions.

As I rounded the corner of the property near the pond, I noticed another person. They were wearing a long cape, with a hood up over their face. Their magic was unlike any that I had ever seen – it contained both light and dark magic, in nearly equal amounts. While the wards would have hidden me from being noticed, I still ducked behind a tree to observe the stranger. Whoever they were, they were lifting a wand and gently striking the air. I knew from watching James and Sirius work that they were trying to determine where the wards were. Fortunately, the person was at least a yard away from the edge of the wards. I watched for a few more minutes; the person was obviously knowledgeable about warding, and if they were any closer, I think that they might be able to read the magic that went into them. They took a step forward, in the direction of the ward line, and I decided that I needed to distract them. I took my headset off and put a waterproofing charm on it, and then dropped it into the snow. I slid my trainers off my feet and then changed over to my kestrel form. _I had ruined more trainers when I would transform over. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why my shoes would be fine, but my trainers would not. James had the same problem. Remus had finally postulated that it was perhaps the man made materials of the trainers. Magic just didn't work the same way on it. For the sake of my favorite running shoes, I left them sitting in the snow._ I flew through the wards and began diving at the figure. They quickly became perturbed and apparated away.

When I was sure that they were gone, and that they weren't returning, I flew through the wards and back to the Manor house. I landed on the patio and quickly changed over, cursing the fact that I was now in my stocking feet. I opened the back door and walked through the mud room, into the kitchen. Thankfully, James and Remus were the only ones in the room.

"Anwen, you do know that it's winter right? One typically wears shoes in the snow," James teased me.

"I had shoes on, but I flew back to the house, and my shoes are over by the pond," I told him. He opened his mouth to say something, but I just continued. "Look, I was out for a run, when I noticed a person trying to find your wards. Come on, I want you to come and check them." Before I had finished, he was up out of his seat.

"Remus, tell Lily I'm out for a run with Anwen," he said, lifting his wand to his bathrobe, and transfiguring it into sweats. We headed out the to the back door, but when we were on the patio, we both changed over to our animal forms so that we could move faster through the property. I flew slightly ahead of James to lead him to the place near the pond that I had seen the stranger. I landed on my trainers, and changed back. I slipped my feet into the shoes to protect them from the cold and wet. James went to the edge of the wards and held his wand up, moving it in some intricate patterns.

"They seem to be in tact," James told me, "but it bothers me that someone was even looking. The only people who even know the general location of the house are people who have been allowed into the wards, and right now, that list is very small. If you are removed from the wards, then you loose all knowledge that you had of the house."

"I can see them James, and there isn't any disturbance. There is something that I didn't tell you when we were in the house," I confessed, walking closer to him. "The magic of the person who was here, it had dark magic in it. There was light as well, it was a really strange thing. I had never seen anything like it," James sighed, and looked at me. I think he was hoping that I would have some answers, which I did not.

"Maybe you need to move them out a little, and reinforce them?" I postulated and he nodded in agreement.

"I'll go get Sirius and we can do it before you three have to leave for the city today," he suggested, and I agreed with him.

"Well, it's going to be four of us. Ginny Weasley is coming with us, she's very excited about seeing the ballet."

"You're not going on some type of double date here, are you?" He said, his eyebrow up under his messy fringe. "I don't think Lily would take well to Harry dating."

"Yeah, that's it. Sirius is trying to set his godson up with his cousin's daughter at the ripe old age of eleven," I snickered. "No, I've been taking Ginny out, like I took Harry out for all those years. I've been teaching her languages as well, she has a real knack for Latin and Italian as well." James put his arm around me and gave it a little squeeze.

"You're a very kind woman, Anwen Hodgson-Black. Thanks for everything that you've done for Harry," he said with a seriousness in his voice that I didn't expect.

"James, it's what families do for one another," I simply replied. I picked up my personal stereo and we ran back to the house, for appearances sake. When we got to the house, James grabbed my hand.

"Winnie, don't say anything to Lily about this, okay? She's having a hard enough time. She's worried about Harry, and now we have Evan to be concerned with as well. Let's just keep this between us, at least for the time being. I nodded at him, and we went into the house.

About an hour later, I had eaten breakfast and was getting dressed when Sirius came back from reinforcing the wards around the house. He had forgotten to put on a warming charm, and his face was very cold. I held it between my hands, warming it both magically and non. His lips were freezing as well when I leaned towards him to kiss him hello.

"I've missed you," I whispered to him, before I wrapped myself up in his arms. I breathed in the glorious scent that was my husband, and reveled in the warmth our love could bring to me. No matter what else I would be feeling, Sirius was a balm for me.

"I've missed you too," he whispered back, holding me close. "We strengthened everything, the house is safe." I nodded my head against him. I pulled away from him to look at his face.

"I need to go over to the Weasleys for a quick moment, to pick up Ginny. How about if we meet at Grimmauld at 11:30? We can go for a quick bite and then on to the ballet?" I suggested.

"That sounds lovely, dear, I'll see you at home." He kissed me again, and then headed toward the loo to get cleaned up. I walked over and grabbed the wrapped box that was sitting by the door, and headed downstairs. I walked into the lounge where Lily was playing with Evan.

"I'm going to head over to talk with Molly and Ginny. Sirius is bringing Harry over to our house by 11:30 so that we can have some lunch before we have to leave. Don't worry, Lily, he'll be fine," I said, answering her question before she had even asked it. She smiled at me knowingly.

"I'll make sure that they are ready and off on time," she assured me, and I smiled back at her. With that, I went out to the entryway floo fireplace and stuck my head in, calling over to the Burrow.

"Molly, is it okay if I come over now? I have a little something for Ginny."

"Of course dear. You don't need to call ahead," she said, and I smiled at her warmly. With her permission granted, I stepped into the fireplace and stepped out at the Burrow. Once in the kitchen, Ginny came flying up to me, still in her dressing gown.

"Mrs. Black, I am so excited to be going today," the little redhead was bouncing up and down.

"Well, I'm excited too, but I've told you, I am not Mrs. Black; she was a scary and nasty woman whose portrait cursed at me the first time I walked into my house. You can call me Anwen, or Aunt Winnie like Harry does," I reminded her, politely.

"Alright," she said and then smiled, "Aunt Winnie." I nodded approvingly and then produced the box from behind my back. "This is something for you, it was very special to me when I was your age, and I want you to have it. I do hope that it's alright, Molly?" I said, realizing that I should have asked permission to give it to her before I just went and did it.

"Of course it's alright, Anwen. You may open it Ginny," Molly said.

"Thank you, Mummy." Ginny said, her eyes bright as she ripped at the paper. When it was unwrapped, she lifted the lid of the box and gasped at the navy blue velvet dress that was wrapped up inside. "Oh, it's beautiful," she said, almost afraid to touch it.

"That is the dress that my Ma made for me the first year that I danced in the Nutcracker. I was just your age, and I played a toy soldier." The dress was made of the softest navy fabric, with white satin cuffs and collar. The best part was the Nutcracker that my mother had hand stitched into the hemline of the dress. "My Ma sent over some of my things after we were there in October, and this was one of them. When I saw it, I thought of you. I hope that you don't mind that it's not new."

Ginny looked up at me, her brown eyes sparkling as she spoke. "No, it's so much more special because it was yours. Thank you, oh, thank you Aunt Winnie," she gushed as she threw her arms around me.

"You are so welcome child. Why don't you go and see if it fits you, and you can wear it today?" I said, giving her a little squeeze. She let go of me and ran upstairs.

"That was very kind of you. Are you sure that you want to give it to her, not keep it for your own daughter?" Molly asked me.

"No, I want Ginny to have it. She will look beautiful in it. Someone should get some use from it," I said, thinking about my fears over getting pregnant again. I quickly changed the subject, since this was something I really didn't want to talk about, or discuss with anyone. "We are going to be having lunch, and then going out to the Ballet. If it's alright with you, we were going to take them over to Harrods's for a little sight seeing and shopping and then have dinner at Grimmauld. I promise that we will get her home in time for bed."

"Well, that's very generous of you," Molly said looking at the floor. I knew what she was feeling right now.

"Molly, please don't. I can see in your face that you're worried about how much things cost, but please don't be. You have been so kind to Sirius and me; treating us like we are much closer blood relations than we are. He never felt close to any of his family, and you treat him so very well. I love my yearly jumper and so does Sirius, they are the perfect thing to wear around an old, drafty London house. With my mother so far away, it's nice to know that I have someone to call if I need advice, or just a shoulder to cry on. Not to mention that Ginny is a remarkable young woman, and I feel privileged that you let me spend time with her. What you have given to us, is worth so much more than gold," I told her. She got me and hugged me. When she was done, she took my face in her hands.

"Sirius couldn't have picked a better wife, Anwen. Arthur and I are thrilled that you are part of the family." She pulled back and patted my cheek and for a moment, I felt like I was back with my mother. "And when the time is right, you will make a wonderful mother." Her comment brought tears to my eyes. I nodded at her and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. _She understood my fear without me saying anything. I love Molly._ Just then, Ginny bounded back down the stairs, looking lovely in the dress, which fit her well, white stockings and her dress shoes. She had pulled her long red hair up into a ponytail that was wrapped with a long, white ribbon. After grabbing her cloak and hugging her mother, we were off to Grimmauld Place.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: Hello my fine readers, here's the rest of Christmas 1991, and something to get excited about, Sirius in a leather jacket. I want to thank everyone who is reading, and I would love to hear what you think. The hit count is fairly high, and I only have one reviewer. It would help to read them, I'm at my parents house, helping my mom recover from rather extensive back reconstruction surgery, and your notes would certainly brighten my day. Thanks so much in advance. Songs for this chapter: almost anything from the "Nutcracker Ballet" and then the "Piano Concerto # 17 in D Minor" by Beethoven. That peice is nicknamed "The Tempest" and it fits Anwen's mood at the end to a tee. Again, thanks so much for your reading and reviewing. My deep thanks to my beta, Peter, for his quick and remarkable work and I don't own this world or the characters, I just like to show what life might have been like if Harry's parents had lived. Enjoy. Mutt**

**Chapter 3:**

**Knowing When to Keep Your Mouth Shut**

**Sirius POV:**

I had dressed myself in Anwen's favorite charcoal gray suit with a white dress shirt, even gone as far as to purchase a rather stupid looking Muggle Christmas tie, with holly berries on it to wear on days such as this, when we were trying to pass for a regular couple in London. My hair was pulled back off my face and I had trimmed the facial hair so that I looked presentable. _Anwen will be pleased with just how 'normal' I appear._ I went down and knocked on Harry's bedroom door as we needed to be leaving. He'd dressed himself in a red and navy stripped sweater and a pair of khaki pants. _Thank goodness Lily didn't try to make him wear a suit. No need for both of us to be uncomfortable._

"Hey kiddo" I said as I opened the door. "You ready to go?" He looked up at me and gave me half of a smile.

"Are you sure that it's not sissyish to be going to the ballet?" he asked. I had to think about my answer for a moment. I walked over and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Harry my boy, it is never a sissy thing to do something that makes someone else happy, especially when you love that someone. The ballet is not my thing, but your Aunt Winnie loves it and someone that she is friends with is dancing today, so it's very important to her," I explained. "For today, if it makes her happy, then it makes me happy, and I don't think anyone would call me a sissy," I added, cocking my eyebrow at him and flashing that Marauder smile that made my wife nervous. He shook his head and gave me a matching grin. "You love your Aunt Winnie, right?"

"Almost as much as I love Mum," he answered, looking like I'd offended him at the suggestion that he might not love Winnie.

"Well then, going today makes her happy. Come on, we don't want those pretty ladies waiting too long for us." I moved my hand off his shoulder and we started for the door. Harry suddenly stopped.

"Wait, I almost forgot my wallet. I had Dad change over some of my allowance to pounds so that I could shop while we were in London. I need presents for Mum, Dad and Evan," he explained, reaching into his wardrobe for the small brown billfold. He stowed it away in his pants pocket. Just to be safe, I put a slight sticking charm on it, to keep it where it was until Harry decided to take it out. We wouldn't want a fun day to be ruined by a pickpocket while we were in the city.

Downstairs, he grabbed his dark blue pea coat and we flooed over to Grimmauld place, after saying his goodbyes. The girls were already there, waiting in the dining room. Anwen had on the most beautiful green sweater that hugged her curves and made her eyes sparkle. Ginny looked adorable in Anwen's old dress.

"Well, it would seem that we've found the loveliest ladies in all of London," I announced as I walked over to my wife and pulled her to me. "You look stunning and I missed you," I added as I gently kissed her hello.

"You look quite dashing as well, and I missed you too; but love, I don't think a dragon tooth goes well with the outfit," she said, her hand going to my earring. _I had forgotten that it was even there._ She gently removed it, and laid it down on the sideboard. Then she summoned one of her diamond studs and carefully slid it into the hole, and attached the back. "Much better, more dignified, but undeniably sexy," she said, pulling my head down to kiss the earring and my ear.

"Argh!" Harry moaned from behind us; Ginny was giggling. "You're the grown ups, act like it!" he admonished, using the same words that he used when James and Lily were affectionate with each other. Winnie slipped away from me, looking over at our charges for the afternoon.

"Okay you two, calm down. What would you like for lunch?" she asked the pair. They looked at each other, and then back at her, and in unison replied, "Pizza!" _Of course._ Winnie nodded at them and we all put on our overcoats and headed out the front door. I made sure that there was no one looking as we stepped through the wards, or it would have seemed that we had materialized in thin air.

We traversed across the park in the square and headed to the main street. We found an empty booth at the pizzeria that Anwen and I frequented and we were greeted by name. _Guess we come here more than I thought._ I enjoyed a pint while the kids had Muggle soda pop. Ginny had never had it before, and liked the way the bubbles tickled her nose when she brought the glass to her lips.

"Aunt Winnie, Uncle Sirius said you know someone who is dancing today?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, that's why we're sitting in one of the boxes. A friend of mine is part of the company. Her name is Clara Lewis, and she will be the Sugar Plum Fairy, her husband is dancing the role of the Mouse King," Anwen explained. _Clara had been married for a few years, I remember her wedding, I had never seen so many very skinny people in one room before._

"Wow. How do you know her?" Ginny said, sounding impressed.

"When we were younger, we studied ballet and music together. I wasn't much older than the two of you when we met," Anwen replied quietly. She had never really told either of the children about her life before Hogwarts, or her special, non-magical skills.

"You studied ballet?" Ginny said, sounding more impressed.

"Yes, for quite a few years. In fact, your Uncle Sirius used to hate the way it made my feet look," Anwen told them, I nodded in agreement. She told them a little about her days dancing, as well as singing. Harry knew that she had musical skills, but not the extent of those skills. The pizza came, and we all ate in a comfortable silence. I paid the bill and we went and hailed a cab.

The theater was beautiful and we were led to one of the boxes to the left of the stage. Clara's parents and her younger sister were already there. The Walkers embraced Anwen and shook my hand. Anwen had kept up with Clara, even after all of these years. We often met for dinner in London, and every year we went to the Walkers' for their New Year's Day At Home. My wife introduced the children, and they all commented on Ginny's dress. She proudly said that it was Anwen's as a child and that she was thrilled to be able to wear it. I could see the pride in Winnie's face.

Anwen and the kids sat in the first row, along with Clara's sister, Doey. _That's one odd name, I hope it's short for something._ Harry was on one side of Anwen, Ginny on the other. Throughout the show, she would explain things to them, or point out important dance moves or interesting things about the set. _She never misses a chance to turn something into a teaching moment. She must be wonderful at the Auror School. I know Moody had recently decided that she would be teaching Crime Scene analysis in the new term. I could tell from the way that she was pointing things out to the kids that she would be wonderful at it. She saw things that most people would let go unnoticed._

When the show was over, Anwen took Harry and Ginny backstage to meet Clara and some of the dancers, while I waited in the lobby. Several women had walked by me, making eyes at me. It was like this whenever I went out into London, but I just ignored them. The only woman that I found attractive anymore was my beautiful and beloved wife. I wandered over to the souvenir stand, and I noticed a snow globe that had the Christmas Party Scene inside. It played one of the pieces of music from the ballet when you wound it up. I purchased it, and slipped it inside the pocket of my overcoat. Just then, the others emerged from backstage.

"Uncle Sirius, you wouldn't believe how big it is back there. The ceiling is so high," Harry said, sounding very impressed. I nodded at him.

"I know, I've been back there," I confirmed. "How is Clara?" I asked my wife, looking over Harry's head at her.

"She's wonderful. She said hello and hopes that she will see us next week at her parents. I told her I wasn't sure if we would be back from our Anniversary trip or not." She seemed a little sad, but I didn't want to press it now. I could feel her sadness, so I sent her as much love as I could, seeing as we were in a crowded lobby. She smiled at me.

"Well, I believe that we have other stops to make this afternoon? Should we be off?" I asked and she nodded at me. We walked out onto the street, and Winnie instinctively took Ginny's hand, while I put a protective hand on Harry's shoulder. I could feel the shield that Winnie cast over us all as well. The trip from the West End to Harrods was long, but it was fun for the kids to ride both the double decker bus and the Underground. Ginny had spent little time in Muggle London, and her eyes were wide with excitement. Both kids kept pointing at things and smiling brightly. Winnie even got Harry to do some Latin translations based on street names. _I can't believe she is still pushing the Latin with him, even out here. I wonder if he realizes that she is doing lessons even now?_

We arrived at the large retailer, and it was obvious that neither of the kids had ever been in a Muggle department store. Anwen and I came over often, especially when she was shopping for her family in Canada. They were both wide eyed as we entered and started to make our way around the store. We walked through department after department, floor after floor. The kids stopped to look at things and kept pointing items out to us. We stepped off the escalator, onto the floor where the women's lingerie department was, and I had every intention of heading over, until my dear wife grabbed my hand.

"Sirius, don't even think about it," she whispered under her breath.

"Why?" I said, grinned at her.

"Because, I don't think that either sets of parents would appreciate your taking these children over there. They haven't hit puberty yet, I don't think you should push them into it today," she admonished me. I pouted at her. She let out a deep breath. "You can come back and buy whatever you would like for our trip dear, just not now," she relented, but her unhappiness was clearly evident.

We went and had some hot chocolate and biscuits at the food court, and then we had to settle down to do some actual shopping. We first started at the children's level, Harry picking out a stuffed lion for his little brother.

"He'll be in Gryffindor someday, so he needs to have his own lion," he said. He proudly paid for it himself.

"You know, I said the same thing when I got yours for you when you were five," I told him. I wasn't even sure if he remembered our trip to the Welsh Mountain Zoo, but it was special for me. _That was the first time that I realized just how amazing Anwen was with children, and how much I really did want to have children with her someday. It can't come soon enough now._

In the men's department, Harry found a pair of rather garish holiday socks for his father. They were a sort of golden yellow color with a large Christmas Tree on them. They were of course, on sale, so Harry chose to get them for his Dad. I had tried to stop him, but once again, Winnie placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, and turned us so that we were facing away from Harry.

"Sirius, one of the joys of parenthood are the odd gifts that your children pick out for you. I remember buying my mother some perfume at the corner store in the village where we lived. I was so proud of myself for the purchase, and she had tears in her eyes when she opened it. I thought that it was because she liked the gift, turns out that the stuff smelled like vinegar and it shocked her when she opened it. However, if you ask my Ma what one of her favorite gifts from me was, she will tell you that it was the perfume, because it made me so happy to give it to her. Yes, they are ugly, but James will most likely put them on tomorrow as soon as he opens them." she had such a soft smile on her face, I couldn't help but acquiesce.

"I'll bet you five Galleons that James does not put those on tomorrow," I challenged, _I know my best friend better than she did._

"I'll take that bet," she said, smiling and shaking her head. We saw Ginny eying a tie a few rounds away from us, and Winnie walked over to her.

"Ginny, what did you find dear?" I heard her ask as I went and stood with Harry in the queue to pay for his purchase.

"This tie. It plays music when you press it." The holiday tie was ugly as all get out, but when you pressed a button in the bottom, it did indeed play a sort of metallic sounding Christmas carol. "My Daddy would be so excited about this," Ginny said, sounding a little sad. She was correct however, Arthur Weasley, and his love of all things Muggle, would think that this tie was the most wonderful present. Anwen always enjoyed shopping for him, because he appreciated the most mundane of things. "I don't have any Muggle money."

"Ginny, how about if I loan you some money, and then you can come over and work it off for me? I am going to need some help around the house, cataloging some books after the first of the year. After your lessons you can help me put the book plates in and put them away on the shelves," Anwen suggested sweetly, and the little girl's face lit up. Ginny nodded at her and grabbed the tie and headed over to join us. Once they were standing behind us, Anwen reached into her bag and took out a 10 pound note, and gave it to Ginny. "Give me the change, and I'll hold onto it, since you don't have a bag with you. Okay?" Ginny nodded at her. _I looked at the choice curiously, knowing full well that there was much more money in Anwen's purse, since she had taken a fair amount of cash out the last time we were at Gringotts; and yet, she only gave Ginny such a small amount._

We finished in the men's department, and they both found a small piece of jewelry for their mothers and paid for the purchases. Both kids were keenly aware of how much they had left, and chose to make purchases within their limits. Anwen praised them for making wise decisions, and for staying on their budgets. _Why is she doing that? If they needed more money I would have been more than willing to give it to them. _I felt myself getting frustrated at my wife. She must have felt it, because she turned and looked at me confused, and somewhat hurt.

It was nearly dinner time when we were finished, and we got a cab back to Grimmauld Place. Kreacher had made us a thick beef stew for dinner. Before we took the kids home, Winnie helped them wrap their purchases for their parents so that they would remain a surprise. Before they left, I took the snow globe out of my pocket and handed it to Ginny. She shook it and smiled brightly at me, and then threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Thank you, Uncle Sirius. It's perfect. I've never had anything so pretty," she beamed.

"You're welcome. Have a very Happy Christmas, Ginny," I said, kissing the top of her head. I looked over at my beloved Winnie, and she had tears in her eyes. The wave of love and lust she sent to me enveloped me and surrounded me and I smiled at her.

Winnie left first with Ginny, to take her back to the Burrow. The Weasleys were leaving in the morning for Romania to visit Charlie, where he was learning to care for dragons. The kids were all being shuffled off to Molly's Auntie Muriel's, which we had found out from Ginny, had all of them dreading Christmas. I was tempted to floo call Molly, and let her know that they were welcome to come and stay with us, but then I remembered that Winnie had to work hard to get her time off this year, and I doubted that taking care of the 5 youngest Weasley's would be what she would consider "relaxing".

I thanked Kreacher for his fine meal, and let him know that we would not be back before we left for Monaco. He bowed at me, and then went to his quarters. The house was closed and shuttered and I checked the wards before I left again. Shortly after I arrived back at the Manor, Anwen got back from the Burrow.

"I think the kids will fall right off tonight. We did a lot while we were out today. Molly thanked us for giving Ginny such a nice day, and sent some boxes back with me, three guesses what's in them," she said, slipping down into a chair, removing her shoes. She was across the room from me, which was odd. We usually sat together. _Clearly, something is bothering my wife. She was so happy just a few minutes ago, what happened?_ Remus came in and joined us, followed shortly by Lily and Evan. James had gone out to run some errands.

"Winnie, are we baking tomorrow?" Lily said hopefully. Anwen was the best baker of the bunch, and at the moment there were no biscuits for Christmas in the house.

"Of course Lils. I'll check the supplies first thing in the morning, and head to the market if necessary. There are a few men in this house who would be quite put out if I didn't make them their favorites," Winnie said with a slight smile on her face. Conversation flowed for the rest of the night, but Anwen stayed quiet, often just staring into the flames of the fire. Remus got out the Wizard chess set, and we started a rather deliberate and intense game. When it was done, I realized that Anwen wasn't with us anymore. I went up to our room and found her balled up in bed with the covers over her head. I quickly undressed and got ready for bed and slid in with her. I was surprised to find her awake, her face tear stained.

"Love, what's the matter?" I asked her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to brush me off. I wasn't going to let her.

"Anwen, it's not nothing. You've been sad for most of the day, and far too quiet. Come now, what is it that's got you so upset?" I said, stroking her shoulder and down her back.

"Clara is pregnant. She is due to have her baby in late May. They weren't even trying to have a baby," sounding almost angry about it. I wasn't sure what to say, knowing full well that there was nothing that could be said that would make her feel better.

"Anwen, she didn't do it on purpose, and if she had known what we'd been through, she may not have even told you," I said gently, hoping that it was the right thing. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could feel her tense. _Nope, not the right thing._ She rolled away from me, turning her back to me.

I lay there for a while, still stroking her shoulders and back, sending her my love and comfort. She had been so difficult to predict lately. Ever since she had to change jobs within the department, she was running hot and cold, and her moods were giving me whiplash. I had no idea what to do to help her, no idea even what she needed. _Days like today, she is still a mystery to me. I've known her most of her life, and yet, I don't know that I will ever really understand her. The one thing I am sure of, is that I love her more now that I ever thought was possible. I just want her to be happy._ Her breathing began to slow down, and I could feel her muscles releasing their tension. I thought she may have fallen asleep, but then she rolled herself back over, and burrowed herself into me, finding her normal sleeping position. Her little hand, with it's wedding band came to rest over my heart, and I was filled with the warmth of her love. I brought my right hand over to covers while my left arm wrapped around her and held her to me. She let out a contented sigh and then I could feel the sleep claim her. "I love you, my little one. All I want is for you to be happy," I whispered into her hair, and I let myself succumb to slumber as well.

**Anwen POV:**

I yawned and stretched, and was surprised to find myself alone in our bed. I rolled over, and looked toward the windows. I could see light beyond the draperies, and was shocked to find that I had slept this late. _I can't remember the last time that I was awake after sunrise, and I certainly can't remember the last time that I was up after Sirius._ I stretched again and decided that I needed to get up. As I was pulling myself up into a sitting position, I was surprised when the door to the room flew open, and my husband came in, carrying a breakfast tray. I couldn't help but smile at him. _This should be interesting, Sirius can't cook, at all. His culinary skills extend as far as boiling water for tea and perhaps making toast, but that's it._

"Good morning sleepy head. I wasn't sure if you were ever going to get up this morning," he said, carrying the tray over to me. "Of course, I was looking forward to waking you up," he added with a swagger and grin that let me know he had given it far too much thought.

"Well, that can wait for Monaco. So what do you have there?" I asked as he joined me on the bed.

"Toast, fruit and coffee. I hope it's strong enough. I haven't had to make you coffee in quite a while, so I had to try and remember how much to use," he was beaming.

"I'm sure it will be fine. What time is it?" I asked, taking a triangle of the toast. It was burned.

"After 9:30. Harry is itching for you to get up and get baking. I told him that he needed to let you sleep, but he couldn't understand why." I leaned over and kissed him.

"Thank you darling. It was nice to have a lay in for a change." I leaned myself against him and we ate in near silence. These were the moments of my life that I appreciated the most; the quiet moments where I could simply be with Sirius, without anything weighing in on us. The overwhelming sense of foreboding that had been with me for the last few months seemed to abate with the light of morning, and was replaced with the feeling of delight at my husband's sweet gesture. I felt better about everything as we sat there, relishing our closeness. I finished the toast and fruit, and went to drink my coffee. It took everything to swallow it down, and not spit it out over the duvet cover on the bed. It reminded me of tar. _Well, nearly everything was perfect this morning. _I continued to pretend to drink it, but I was actually sending it to the bathroom sink and down the drain. I would need to make more coffee once I was downstairs.

The rest of the day was spent in the kitchen with Lily. We baked 5 different kinds of biscuits, including fancy cut out ones that Harry and I decorated together. I was surprised that there were any left at the end of the day, because the guys kept coming into the kitchen and helping themselves, even if the cookies weren't done. I finally had to put a shield up over them, so that we could at least have enough left for dinner and for Christmas Day.

I helped Lily with the Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner. I always did the whisking by hand, rather than with magic, because I thought that it produced a better froth for the eggs. Lily, Remus and I went to church in town at 11, leaving James and Sirius home with the boys. It didn't bother me that Sirius didn't come with me, it was always something that was much more important to me than it ever was to him. The three of us appreciated the quiet of the service and the chance to just sit and relax.

We awoke Christmas morning to Harry bounding through the hallway, banging on the doors and yelling "Happy Christmas!" working hard to be waking everyone up. _Clearly he is anxious to be opening his presents._

"I thought he was over the whole Father Christmas phase," Sirius grumbled as I pulled the blankets down, exposing him to the cold air.

"He's still a child Sirius, and he knows that there are presents down there. Come on, get up," I chided him, slipping my feet into my big, fuzzy slippers and grabbing my robe from the door of the loo. Sirius was up and pulling a Molly original sweater from a few years ago over his head, he had pulled his old jeans on already.

"Happy Christmas love," he said, pulling me to him, and kissing me deeply. _I love the way he tastes, like chocolate and salt._

"Happy Christmas," I replied when the kiss ended. I pulled myself tightly to him, hugging him with all of the strength I had. I felt so safe when I was wrapped in his arms. We opened the door, and we were greeted by Harry, hands on his hips, a rather frustrated look on his face.

"I wasn't sure that you were ever going to get up. Old people." Harry said, his voice clued us in on his irritation at the situation.

"Yup, that's us Harry. Ready for the rest home. Come on, let's get down there," Sirius said pulling his wand out from his jeans pocket, lifting him off the ground and levitating him down the stairs. Remus was walking down behind me, and I looked back at him.

"I swear, it's like he's frozen at 17 some days." I rolled my eyes, and Remus laughed at me, nodding his head.

Harry opened his presents first. He got several new books on Quidditch and some other school supplies. His parents had even gotten him season tickets for Pride of Portree for the upcoming summer. The seats were in the second row, in the center of the pitch. Harry actually danced around the room when he opened them.

Sirius had picked out some very nice Seeker gloves for Harry, in Gryffindor colors, and we had his name and number stitched on them. We had also gotten him a regulation practice Snitch, so that we could play pick up games here at the Manor. Harry was thrilled with them, giving his godfather a high five, but allowing himself to hug me. He also received his very first Weasley sweater, producing sniggers from his father and godfather; but Harry was delighted with it. He and Ron had always been friends, but it seemed that since they now shared a dorm, they had become even closer. Many of Harry's adventures involved Ron and a girl they met at school named Hermione. She was Muggle born, like Lily and I, and very bright. _I __wonder how she puts up with the two of them. I had watched Harry and Ron together since they were five, and I had to be honest, they often drove me nutters when they were together._

The best gift however, came from his father. Harry's eyes opened wide when he unwrapped the gift, and slipped it from its wrappings.

"Dad, are you sure that you want to give this to me?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure. I can disillusion myself. This has been in my family for generations, and I think that it's time that it was yours. Use it wisely, but if I find out that you've been abusing it, I won't hesitate to take it away," James admonished his son. Harry nodded, picking up the Invisibility Cloak and throwing it over his shoulders.

"Cool, my body is gone. Dad, this is so neat. Thank you." Harry took it off and went over and hugged James. Lily had tears in her eyes, seeing the affection between her older son and his father.

When he was done opening gifts, Harry very proudly presented the gifts that he had gotten everyone. He had found small items for Remus, Sirius and me while he was at Diagon Alley with his mother when he first arrived back in London from Hogwarts. I could tell that a great deal of thought went into each present, especially the container of magical flea bath for his godfather. _I think that I will appreciate that more than Sirius._

He then gave his parents and brother the items we had gotten on our trip to Harrods. Evan was able to sit up, with the help of Uncle Remus, and began chewing on the stuffed lion.

"You don't put it in your mouth, silly." Harry tried to tell his brother, but as soon as he pulled the lion's ear out of Evan's mouth, the baby immediately put it back in.

"Harry, it's what babies do at his age. Everything goes in their mouths," I explained to him, and he sighed.

"Yuck!" he said, making a face at the now drool–laden lion's ear.

Lily loved the little pin that Harry had picked out for her. There were two charms on it, both in the shape of little boys, one had an H on it, and the other an E. She hugged her son and attached it to her pajamas. "When did you become such a thoughtful young man?" she questioned him, holding his face between her hands. She hugged him again. Harry just shrugged at her. When James opened the socks, he did a wonderful job of suppressing his desire to laugh at the color of the foot coverings.

"Harry, these are great! I've never seen anything like them!"

"I know. They're Gryffindor gold and Christmas-y!" the boy proclaimed. James then proceeded to take the white tube socks he had worn downstairs off, and put the monstrosities that he had received on. I leaned over to my husband and stroked his neck and whispered. "You can leave my money in my cloak love." He looked at me sideways and shook his head.

Harry started playing with Evan and the adults began exchanging gifts. I had found some interesting things for everyone, and Sirius and I were glad at their responses when they opened them. James then handed me a rather large, heavy object.

"That is for you, Anwen. I hope that it will come in handy." I looked at him puzzled, but he said nothing more. I tore into the wrap and was so excited at what I found. Inside was a large Muggle book about crime scene investigations: how they analyzed a scene, how they stored evidence, how the tagged and photographed things, all of it.

"James, this is amazing. Where did you get it?" I said, not really looking at him, I was already thumbing through the book.

"We were in London a few weeks back, and I saw it in a book store near University. Sirius had told me that you would be teaching it next term at the Auror school, so I thought you would find how Muggles do it interesting." I put the book aside, and stood up.

"Thank you, it's perfect," I said, hugging him. He smiled down at me.

"Can you imagine what King and Mad–Eye will say, if you tell them that you're using a Muggle reference book for the class?" Sirius said behind me.

"I can't wait to tell Fudge and Umbridge." A wicked smile crept across my face. "King will be happy that we are expanding their horizons and Mad–Eye has complete control over the program, and he'll let me do whatever I feel like doing, but Fudge and his toadie will have a cow," I giggled.

"Perhaps we will need to visit you on that day," James suggested, and everyone broke into laughter. I nodded my agreement.

After a while, when Lily had gotten up to feed the boys their brunch, Sirius and I exchanged gifts. I had gotten Sirius a new leather jacket to wear when he rode his motorbike. He had a rather bad spill in the early fall, and had ripped up the sleeve and back pretty badly. I had tried to repair it, but given its age, it was simply falling apart. He'd been wearing the same one since he had gotten the bike, while we were still in school.

"Love, it's perfect." He said, slipping his arms into the jacket. It fit him quite well, and with his hair down and his ripped jeans, he looked dangerous and undeniably sexy. He must have felt my emotions, because he looked at me with desire and longing in his eyes. "Maybe we will leave for Monaco tonight," he whispered. I said nothing, just rolling my bottom lip with my teeth. He pulled a large box out from behind the tree and brought it over to me, sitting back down.

"What's this?" I said, unable to figure out what he might have gotten me that would need such a large box.

"Something I thought that you could use. Go on, open it." My husband said, wrapping his arm over my shoulders. His excitement was palpable, and I could feel how important this gift was to him. _What in the world has him this keyed up?_ I tore into the paper, but all that was there was a red dragon hide case. He urged me to undo the latches and I did, and then flipped the case open. Inside was a new, clearly custom made broom, lying in black velvet. I had never seen anything like it. I gently rubbed my hands across it.

"The handle is made from willow wood, since it's light and durable and the grip is an alloy that is made from a Muggle metal called titanium. There is a cold weather cover for it made of sheepskin and it has stability control as well as speed control. It's also charmed so that it repels dark magic spells and hexes," Sirius announced proudly. I took the broom from the case and held it gently. I could see the runes beneath the grip, and running down the length of the broom.

"Sirius, why? How?" Words were failing me. _I can't even begin to imagine how expensive this broom was. I had never, in my life, seen anything like it._

"You're having to fly more now, and you haven't gotten a new broom since your sixth year. It's the newest Firebolt, it was only released for general purchase a few weeks ago. I went to the broom maker I went to for your first broom and explained what I wanted; they were all too happy to do a custom overhaul for me," he said proudly. It was the right height and weight for me and it hummed in my hand. _It's beautiful, but why on earth had he spent so much money. I remembered how much I had paid for my broom a little over 13 years ago, and I couldn't even fathom just how much something like this would have cost._

"Sirius, why did you spend so much money? My broom was fine," I said before I realized it was even coming out of my mouth. The blood drained from my face when I looked over at him and I understood that I had hurt him. "Love, I'm sorry, that didn't come out right. It's a beautiful broom, and I really do love it, I'm just surprised, I never expected a new broom, not when mine was more than adequate." Words were just tumbling out of me, and again, I knew that I had stepped in it.

"Anwen, I was just worried about your having to fly so much now. You're out on duty three times a week, and your broom is old, and it wasn't a very good one to start with," Sirius said, obviously getting frustrated that I hadn't received the gift the way that he had hoped. "If you had let us buy you a good one back then, I wouldn't have been so worried, but you had to be so stubborn about it."

"Well, please dear, tell me what you really think," I said sarcastically.

"Anwen, it was a mid–level broom that you wouldn't have even been able to buy if James and I hadn't helped you pay for it. You are so bull headed about money. We have more than enough of it to buy anything and everything over and over again," he said, standing up. _He and James had helped to pay for my broom?_ I set the new broom back down in the case and went to look at him face on.

"You and James helped to pay for my broom? When I told you specifically not to?" Tears were forming behind my eyes, and I went from being angry to humiliated in a second. He must have felt the change in my emotions, because he immediately softened.

"Anwen, you had just gotten hurt because you were flying so recklessly, we were just worried if you tried a stunt like that on a cheap broom, well, you'd get really seriously hurt," he said, coming toward me, trying to put his arms around me. I just stood there. "It wasn't a problem for us to help you."

"That's always your answer isn't it? Money isn't a problem, we've got plenty." I broke free of him. "Sirius, I don't agree with you on that point." I looked around the room. Remus and James were still sitting in the lounge with us, their mouths hanging open. Lily had come to stand in the door between the kitchen and lounge, probably to block our conflict from the boys. "I'm sorry everyone, please excuse me." I was humiliated at what had been said, and worse that it had been said in front of our family. Tears were streaming down my face, and I ran from the room.

I got upstairs and sealed the room. _James and Sirius practiced their curse breaking skills on my wards. They had yet to break one. I'll be alone for a while._ I flung myself down on the bed and let myself cry my emotions out. _I don't know why I am so upset here. Well that's a lie, you know exactly why you are upset. At some point you are going to have to tell Sirius what you found out, but not today, not like this._ I could hear him outside the room, begging me to let him in. I shook my head at him, even though he wasn't going to be able to see it. I quickly did a cleaning charm on myself, and threw on some clothes and trainers and apparated myself right out of the room. I wanted to be alone to think things through.

**James POV:**

Sirius bounded back down the stairs. "She's locked herself in there, and we aren't going to break down that ward, unless she wants us to," he added, clearly frustrated. "What the hell did I do here? Why is she so upset?" He threw himself down on the couch, and it slid a foot across the floor, leaving a gouge in the wood panels. _Need to fix that before Lily sees it._

"Well, for starters, did you actually think that she knew that we had helped pay for her broom her sixth year?" I asked him.

"I don't know. I never thought about it. I mean, come on, a sale just for students? It was a pretty lame story you came up with."

"It was, but she believed it. And it was thirteen years ago. Sirius, why did you bring it up now?"

"Because," he said, obviously unable to come up with a better answer. _Because she didn't gush over your gift, so you wanted to make her feel bad._ "Why can't she just accept a gift, for the reason that it's given, without having to justify it? Doesn't she get that we have enough money, more than enough money?" He threw his arms up in the air.

"She does, Sirius; but she has a different attitude about money than you do," Remus spoke up. I knew that this was something about her that he understood better than either of us ever would. "Just because everything is great now, it doesn't mean it will be in the future. She would rather budget and save so that she knows that she will have enough, no matter what comes." His tone was calm, but there was an insistence to what he was saying.

"But there will be. She was doing the same thing with the kids when we took them shopping. She praised them for making choices that stayed within the amount of money they had with them. We could have helped them pay for whatever they wanted," Sirius complained, clearly not hearing us.

"Well, I am glad that she did," I said, frustrated at my best friend for his shortsighted view of things. "Face it, Harry will never want for anything, but that doesn't mean that we don't want him knowing the value of things, and the importance of living within your means. Those are skills that may come in handy later in life," I told him sternly. Sirius looked at me with the most peculiar look on his face, like I was speaking a foreign language. He said nothing, but it was almost as if you could see the wheels turning in his head. His concentration was broken by Lily entering the room.

"She's not upstairs anymore. I don't know where she is," she said clearly concerned. We all looked at Sirius.

"Bollocks," was all that he responded, and then he closed his eyes. "I can still feel her, but that doesn't mean much. Even when I'm in London and she's off on duty somewhere, I can feel her. She's hurt and frustrated, and very embarrased." He raked his hands through his hair. "Look guys, you should know, she hasn't been herself for the last few months. The stuff with loosing the baby and then being transferred back to the Auror corps, she's been a bit of a mess. I've been worried about her," he said quietly.

"Well, I think the first thing we should do is check around here. Remus, go look through the bedrooms. Sirius, why don't you take the outside? Lily, stay with the kids and if she comes in, keep her with you. I'll go through the rest of this floor," I said, and everyone nodded. I walked across the entryway, and checked the Library. It was dark. I went to the ballroom, which was also dark, but I still went in. I traversed across the wooden floor, and twisted the handle on the conservatory door. She was in here, her fingers nimbly moving across the piano keyboard. Her eyes were closed and she was obviously working out the keys. I leaned against the door frame and watched her. I hadn't seen her play since the concert her last year at Hogwarts, but this was so much more impressive. She continued to pound away at the keys. Without taking my eyes off of her, I quickly fired off a patronus to let the others know that I had found her, and that everything was okay. I didn't tell them where we were, just in case she wasn't ready to talk with Sirius yet.

I was amazed at how she could convey emotion though her hands and the hard keys of the piano. Sadness, longing, irritation, frustration and more were evident in her playing. Her breathing was labored, and she even seemed to be breaking out into a sweat at one point, but she just kept her eyes closed and continued to play. I wasn't sure how long I stood there, watching her play, but the piece finally came to a close. I slipped inside the room, closing the door behind me. "Bravo," I whispered at her, not wanting to scare her. Anwen's head popped up at me.

"That was amazing. What was it?" I asked her.

"Oh, James, I didn't know anyone was here." She said, shaking her head. "It's the Beethoven #17 in D Minor; it's nicknamed 'The Tempest'. It helps me think. I'm sorry for ruining everyone's Christmas, I don't know what came over me," she said, putting her head in her hands on the edge of the piano.

"You didn't ruin anything; Sirius is just worried about you." I sat down on the bench next to her.

"Why didn't I know that the two of you helped pay for my broom?" She had turned her head to look at me.

"We should have told you," I confessed. "Anwen, you were always a crazy flier. You buzzed me the first day you were on a broom. The ones you could afford would have been really dangerous if you tried a trick like that on them. It was a way to help make you safe. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you back then."

"Okay. I'm sorry I lost it. He can just be so over the top sometimes," she sighed.

"Yup. And you do love him for it. What else is bothering you?" I asked her.

"It's just the money, James. Do you know, in all of the years that Sirius and I have shared the accounts, I have never once touched any of it. Even while he was away, I did everything with the funds that I had earned. I know how much I bring in and spend accordingly. I don't think he's ever realized it. He doesn't pay attention to those things. Plus, there's some other stuff, stuff from work," she whispered.

"What things?" I asked her. She shook her head at me.

"I should talk with him about it first." I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Anwen, I appreciate the way that you look at things, and from what Sirius said, you really helped Harry understand the value of things when you were shopping the other day. Thank you. Those are lessons that he doesn't get when I tell him, maybe he will listen to you," I told her. She still had tears in her eyes, but she gently smiled at me. "Just talk to Sirius; he loves you so deeply, but sometimes..."

"I know," she interrupted me. _I knew that she did indeed understand where I was going._

"Come on, let's go get some brunch. Your husband is really worried about you." She nodded at me, and we left the room. When we reached the entryway, Sirius was sitting on the stairs to the second floor, his head in his hands; it popped up when he heard us. I quietly slipped into the lounge and closed the door.

**Anwen POV:**

He looked so small and defeated sitting there. _I didn't want to ruin his holiday. Why the hell can't you just put away what you know, and bring it out on some damn Tuesday that doesn't mean anything to anyone?_ I walked over to him and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry. I do like the broom, and it will be great to have it while I am out on duty," I told him, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm sorry too. We should have told you a long time ago that we had helped pay for your last broom. I shouldn't have thrown it in your face. But, my love, I know that there is something else wrong. You're not yourself. What's bothering you? Please tell me," he looked at me, so desperately wanting me to be happy.

"I will, but not today. Come on, lets go eat with our family, and I can apologize for being so wonky today," I said standing up and offering him my hands to lift him up. He took hold of them, but instead of me pulling him up, he pulled me down to him, wrapping his arms around me.

"Love, promise me something." I looked at him and nodded. "Promise me that you will never, ever forget that I love you more than life itself; and that the only thing I desire in life is you, and to make you happy." He was so earnest that it brought tears to my eyes. I started to cry and I held him to me.

"I promise, I promise. I love you so much. I'm so sorry." He pulled me to him tightly and cradled me into his body, and for the first time in days, I felt at ease.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4:**

**What research can Yield**

**Sirius POV:**

We had been back from our Anniversary trip for several days, and at dinner tonight, Anwen had told me that she had something for me to read. She instructed me to go up to my office, and she would be there in a moment to speak with me. _ I wonder what this is all about. Perhaps it's whatever was bothering her at Christmas, or maybe about her doctor's appointment today. I doubt that she is pregnant again, if that were the case, I think she'd have us celebrating._

I sat down in the leather chair behind the desk, and pulled out a book on Ancient Egyptian Curses that I had purchased while we were away. It was a really interesting book, and I had been making notes of things that I wanted to talk about with Bill Weasley when she was visiting his parents next. Arthur had been telling me about the work that he was doing in Egypt for Gringotts. Apparently Bill was excited to talk with James and me about some of the warding and curse breaking that we were doing here. _The next time that he was here, I am sure that we would have a long and enlightening evening._ Just then, Anwen walked in, carrying a portfolio. I replaced my bookmark and closed the book. She sat down in the chair opposite my desk.

"King gave this to me a couple of months ago," she started, indicating the satchel in her hands. "He had stumbled upon this information while we were doing research. He didn't feel the need to say anything to me, and it most likely would have remained buried in his files if the department hadn't been dissolved." Her fingers were rubbing the small elastic closure, and she wasn't looking at me.

"Sirius, he never thought that we needed to act on this. We didn't go after family fortunes, we were only after the Death Eaters themselves. Crippling them financially. Just because someone's father or husband had done despicable things, it didn't mean that they were bad, or that the families should be punished." She was rambling and had raised her right hand to wipe away the tears from her face. I rose to go and comfort her, but she shook her head. I sat back down. _What the hell is in there? Who is it about?_

"He wouldn't have even given it to me, if it wasn't that he found Dolores Umbridge snooping through his desk one day, supposedly looking for a form he forgot to file. He didn't want to risk her finding this, so he gave it to me. The only people who know it exists are King, you and I." She stood and handed it to me, again taking her time to wipe her tears. "Sirius, your father and moreover, your grandfather were not very nice men. You can do what you want with the file. Under the current laws, there is no way that you are accountable for their actions, and most of it happened so long ago, a court case couldn't be brought anyway. I want to burn it when you're done. I don't ever want to see it again." My wife started openly sobbing now. "I am so sorry love. I'm sorry that this file exists, that you have to know about it." She got up and started to leave. As she reached the door, she turned and looked at me. "I'm sorry that I didn't hide it from you, shield you from this, but I couldn't. I'll be in the library when you are done. I love you." With that, she left the room. I sat there, holding the folder in my hands.

_She wanted to protect me? From whatever is in here? This is what's been eating her up inside, making her crazy? Do I really want to know what's in this? Can I live with myself if I don't know? Can I bear the idea that my sweet Winnie does know? _I poured myself a glass of whiskey and set it and the bottle on my desk.

I finally opened the file, and took the parchment out. I read with rapt horror about how much of our family fortune had basically been stolen from other Wizarding families. I read about the atrocities that my grandfather had committed against people in his employ. _He treated his employees like slaves. My father continued the practice, until the family company was dissolved shortly after my birth. I wasn't even sure what it was that they did. My grandfather had only just passed away, I hadn't seen him since I left the family while I was still in school. He had lived with his daughter, my aunt, who was quite ill as well. I couldn't even tell you if they were at our wedding or not. I couldn't have picked them out of a crowd. At his death, the bank had notified me_.

Most disturbingly, I read how my grandfather had dismissed his mistresses' children, condemning them, kids who would have been my aunts and uncles, to lives of poverty. I felt sick. _I could see why Anwen was so upset with what she had learned, and it put a new light on how she felt about money, specifically, my family fortune._ I had drained my glass and not even realized it. I poured myself another large glass of whiskey and sat in the waning firelight of my study. I started reading about how the accounts had been structured.

The family had done some strange things with the inheritance laws. Upon their marriage, my parents became the sole heirs to the family fortunes, leaving their parents with only small monthly stipends. The best that I could tell, this was to protect the fortune and consolidate it. It was rather shortsighted of their fathers _who also happened to be cousins, which made my parents each others second cousins,_ y_uck _because their children died long before them, leaving all of the money to me. My head hurt from trying to understand it all.

_This room had been my father and my grandfather's study as well. We had redecorated it__, removed all of the dark artifacts, but it was still the same office. I was nauseated at the idea, and panic ran through me that perhaps I was more like them than I had ever wanted to be. _ I had no idea how long I sat there, nursing the whiskey glass, lost in my own thoughts. It was only a small hand on my shoulder that roused me.

"Are you alright love?" I turned to look at her sweet face. She had changed into her nightgown, and her hair cascaded over her face and neck, but her eyes were full of love.

"I knew that they were bad, I just had no idea," I said to her. "I'm so sorry that you had to know this. That you now know what sort of a depraved bunch you married into."

She turned the chair aside and sat herself in my lap. My arms instinctively wound around her as she laid her head on my chest. "I married you, not your family. You are the only Black that I know, and you are a most honorable, just and righteous man. Don't think on it, please. Let's burn this, and file away the memories," she pleaded with me.

"And what about the children my grandfather ignored? We could have family out there somewhere. And what are we going to tell our children?" I asked her. The questions tumbled out of me.

"If you want to find those children, then we will. If you want to make restitution, then we will. And as for our children, the actions you take will be what we tell them." I continued to look at the papers on my desk. "Look at me," She demanded. It took me a moment, but I did comply. "I. Love. You." She said confidently, and then she kissed me gently and sweetly. The comfort of my dear wife was what I needed most. When she broke away from my lips, she slid from my lap and gathered the papers from the desk, and before I could stop her, she threw them in the grate, and waved her hand across it. The flames grew up, and quickly it was all consumed. Saying nothing more, she reached for my hand and twined her fingers into mine. Quietly, her eyes never leaving mine, she led me from the room, walking backwards so that my gaze could not be broken. She walked me from the study, up the stairs and to our room, where she helped me forget the horrors of my family's past, in the promise of making our family's future.

A month passed from that fateful night that I had learned of my family's past. I had tried to find the children that my grandfather had abandoned, but nothing had happened yet. I had employed a researcher through the bank to look for them. With the Goblins in charge, it would be handled as swiftly and quietly as possible. Targnof, the Goblin in charge of my accounts, was an honorable and discrete individual, and I respected him greatly.

Anwen and Ginny were in the Library. True to her word, Anwen set up a schedule for Ginny to work to pay her back the money that she had loaned her for Christmas Presents, and if the work was not done by the time the amount due had been worked off, Ginny would have a chance to earn the difference. Anwen was cross–referencing books that were part of the family library, her personal library that had been in her old office, and some other books that she had acquired when she began teaching at the Auror School. I could hear their laughter from my office, and while I did need to work on the plans for a house that James and I would ward this week, the call of their happiness was too much to resist. I got up and walked over to the room they were in. They were sitting on the floor, books, book plates, parchment and quills spread over the floor and the small coffee table near them. They were looking at something, and laughing quite heartily. It was a glorious sound.

"I'm not sure how much work is actually getting done in here," I said as I entered. "You sound far too happy to be accomplishing anything." I pulled on Ginny's ponytail and she squealed at me; I then gently kissed my wife. I settled down on the floor next to them.

"We are getting work done, but I found this picture album in the back of the bookcase, and we were thumbing through it. We must have missed it when we cleaned the room when we moved in. They're pictures from when you were a baby," she said, smiling greatly. "Ginny and I were commenting on how cute your little bum is," she said, unable to suppress a giggle that was echoed by her young accomplice. In the book in her hands was a picture of me, naked, in the second floor bathtub, splashing at the bubbles. My naked bottom was indeed pointed at the camera. _It could have been worse, I could have been facing forward._ I sighed and grabbed the book from her and closed it.

"You were awfully cute Uncle Sirius," Ginny giggled again, her face turning red.

"Okay, enough jokes about my 'cute bottom'. Ginny, it's just about time for you to be heading home. Your mother needed you home by 2:30," I said, putting the photo album on a high shelf. "Would you like me to floo back with you, or do you want to do it on your own?"

"I'm a big girl, with my own job, I can floo myself back to my house," she said, putting her hands on her hips and staring at me. For a moment, she reminded me so strongly of Anwen her first year at Hogwarts. I stood there dumbfounded. _My wife wasn't much older when I met her._ Anwen must have felt my emotions, for she stood and reached for my hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"Yes, Ginny. You can floo yourself back. I'll see you on Thursday afternoon for more of the same," Anwen said, wrapping an arm around the young girl's shoulder. "We'll get the photo album back out too," she said as they exited the room, looking back at me with that devilish smile that I loved so much. I couldn't help but laugh at her as I walked back into my office to work on the warding plans again.

I sat down and pulled out the blueprints of the house, as well as my warding books. _I hate research. How did I end up in a job that required so much research? _I picked up a quill and started writing notes to myself, when a silver white doe burst in through the window and stopped at my desk.

"Family Meeting, as soon as you and Anwen can get here." Lily's voice echoed in the room. I closed the book and was up out of my chair before the patronus had evaporated. As I reached the hall, I began calling downstairs.

"Anwen, Anwen, we have to get out to the Manor, now!" I took the stairs two at a time, reaching the dining room at the same time Anwen made it up from the lowest level of the house. "I know, no bellowing in the house, but Lily just patronused and we need to get to the Manor, now. Family meeting." She nodded and turned around and headed back to the fireplace across from the kitchen.

"Potter Manor!" I yelled as I threw the floo powder into the fireplace. Moments later, I was in the entryway. I stepped aside and waited for my wife to come through. I caught her as she emerged from the fireplace.

"Hello darling, fancy meeting you here," I said as I pulled her to me and kissed her. She ended the kiss and rolled her eyes at me. She took my hand and led me to the Library. This had become our family meeting place. Remus and James were already sitting down when we arrived.

"Told you, less than 10 minutes. Pay up Moony." James said. Remus reached into his pocket and pulled something out and handed it to James. "I bet him that if Lily patronused you, you'd get here faster than if it was either of us. He didn't believe me. Thanks for proving me right," Prongs smirked.

"Boys." Anwen sighed as she sat down in the velvet lined chair. Lily entered the room with a tea service.

"Tea, you call an urgent family meeting, but you take time to prepare afternoon tea?" I questioned her as I sat down.

"Just because we need to talk, doesn't mean that we can't be civilized while we do i,." Lily retorted as we sat down. She began pouring tea, and then passed around a tray with the lemon, sugar and cream, another with biscuits as well.

"How is Evan?" Anwen asked her, taking the cup of tea from Lily and handing it to me.

"He's fine, upstairs, down for his nap," Lily replied, filling a cup for Remus. "He's sitting up well on his own now, and he's started taking fruits and vegetables."

"That's good. Is he better about it than Harry was? I went home wearing more prunes when I fed him," Anwen responded. I looked at James, and then at Remus and then we all looked at them.

"Girls, as stimulating as this conversation may be, there are more pressing matters than whether my younger son likes his prunes or not," Prongs said mockingly; Moony and I just laughed. Anwen and Lily didn't look amused. "Harry just mirror called me, and there are two things that we need to talk about. The first, the next Quidditch match, the one on Saturday, will be refereed by Snivellus." James said with a sneer. I groaned, Anwen's mouth fell open and Remus shook his head.

"Does he even fly? I don't remember him ever flying when we were at school, and face it, we spent a fair amount of time at the pitch," Anwen asked.

"I'm sure that he could fly, but he never played on the house team, and I don't even really remember him at the matches," James replied. "Harry really doesn't like him, and from what I can tell, he's justified in his actions. Snape is hard on him in Potions class, thankfully, Harry is quite good at Potions – a skill he got from his mother – and knows more about Chemistry than anyone else in his class, thanks to his lessons with his mother. I know this has Harry concerned, he wouldn't have called if it didn't. Lily and I have been invited to sit with Headmaster in the teacher's box, will any of the rest of you be able to be there? Albus said any of us were welcome. "

"I'm not sure. The full moon is only a few days before. I will have to see how I come through the night, and if I need to be helping any of the families," Remus explained. We all respected how dedicated he was to the families of the children living with the affliction. I could see James nodding at him. Lily reached over and touched his hand.

"I'm on duty that day. I'll be at the match, but you won't see me. Going in disguise. Rufus will be in the box with you, and King will be there, in disguise, as well. Dumbledore doesn't want people realizing that there are Aurors on the grounds for the games," Anwen told us. I didn't realize that she would have to work, but I wasn't really surprised. She often ended up on the team that dealt with Hogwarts.

"I'm in," I said. "It'll be fun to see if I recognize my wife." I rubbed the shoulder my hand was resting on. She looked up and smiled at me.

"Sirius and James, you may not get into a fight with Severus, no matter what he does or says. You two need to be adults," Lily warned us. _Damn, it would be fun to get all up in his face._ I nodded that I understood her.

"Alright, with that taken care of, Harry asked another question while we were speaking," James went on. "He asked me if I knew who Nicolas Flamel was." We all stopped and looked at him.

"Did you ask why he wanted to know?" Remus postulated. James nodded and replied, "He said he was just interested."

"Maybe it was for a school project. Something for History class?" I suggested.

"They wouldn't be that far yet. Binns starts back at about year 1000. They would only be at the formation of Hogwarts. We've got a good 300 years before Nicholas and Perenelle would even have been born, and most of his interesting work wasn't done for another 150 years or so after that," Anwen told me. I looked at her amazed that she knew that. She shook her head at me.

"Don't look at me that way. I got my OWL in History," she said defensively. I leaned over and kissed her head.

"You never cease to amaze me, love. That's all." She shook her head at me.

"The stone is at Hogwarts, and now, Harry is asking about Nicolas?" Anwen sounded concerned. "He's figured it out, hasn't he?"

"That's what James and I were thinking," Lily answered her. "He's so inquisitive for his age." She sounded sad as she said this. Anwen reached over and patted her hand.

"I didn't tell him anything, other than to go to the library to do research. I certainly didn't tell him that you know them, Anwen," James said. Anwen had been working with Perenelle for years on her projecting skills, being the only other projecting visualist alive in Great Brittan. "Are you still monitoring Harry?"

"I check on him a few times a week, but I try to give him his privacy. However, he is your son, and his godson," she said, pointing her finger at me, "so I figure that he needs more, um, surveillance than the average child would. That said, if he ever figures out that you have me checking in on him, there is going to be one rather angry young man on our hands." Anwen had never felt completely comfortable with what she was doing, even with her understanding of why it was necessary. "I will be over there a week from today, I'll warn Nicolas that Harry may be living up to his Marauding lineage, and he is most definitely inquisitive. You did tell Albus, didn't you?"

"I did, when I fire called to ask about his 'wisdom' in letting that greasy git ref the match. He said that he was well aware of Harry's interest, but assured me that the stone is safe. Albus is also quite amused with our concern. He's taken to calling us 'The Assembly of 5'. I laughed at the name.

"Well, I'm glad that he can find something to laugh at. As long as my son is safe, I could care less what he thinks. However, if anything happens to him, so help me, Albus will be sorry that I did so well in Charms," Lily said with complete seriousness. James wrapped his arm around her, trying to calm her down. I started to laugh at the sight, but Anwen kicked me under the table.

"What?" I asked her.

"Don't be a git," she replied. With that, James and Remus started laughing.

"You are so whipped Padfoot. Never thought I'd live to see the day," Prongs laughed at me.

"Like you should talk," I replied, and the room dissolved into laughter. We sat around for a while longer, and Lily asked us if we would like to stay for dinner. My wife excused herself, saying that she had to get ready to go on duty tonight, but urged me to stay and have a meal with our friends. We excused ourselves, and I said goodbye to my wife in the entryway.

"How late are you on tonight?" I asked her, wrapping my arms around her and bringing my lips to her temple.

"I'm only supposed to be on until midnight, but as we both know, I am rarely home when I'm supposed to be. Don't wait up for me, please. You need your sleep. You've got bags under your eyes," she said, pulling herself back to look at me, her soft fingers tracing under my eyes.

"I'll be fine, and I will wait up for you. Be careful, and I will see you when you get home. I love you," I said, bringing my lips to hers and kissing her.

"I love you too." I let go of her, and she flooed home to get ready for work. I returned to the Library. The rest of the evening was spent playing chess with Remus and dining on a great Steak and Kidney pie that Lily had made. I was awake and waiting when Anwen flooed home a little before one.

**Anwen POV:**

I was flying over the Quidditch pitch on a rather cold Saturday in February. _Thank goodness the cold doesn't effect me when I'm in my bird form. I would hate to be playing in this weather._ I was flying large arcs over the pitch, high enough that I wasn't drawing attention to myself, but I could clearly see everything. I found King without any trouble, he had disguised himself as an old woman, who was being helped to her seat by Albus. The sight made me chuckle in my head.

Madame Hooch flew out onto the pitch, levitating the box containing the balls in front of her. The teams then marched out, followed by Snape. What I saw made me forget for a moment that I was flying, and I started to plummet to the earth. I quickly recovered, but decided that I needed to come down for a closer look.

Pretending that I saw a small animal on the other side of the pitch, I did a quick dive across the field, and reassured myself that I wasn't seeing things. After a quick flyby of the ground just outside of the bleachers, I went back to my safe flying distance. I didn't want to get in the way of the game, or get too close so that Harry would recognize me. I watched Snape intently, so much so, that I hadn't even realized that Harry had gotten the snitch and the game was over. I watched the teams file off the field and then saw James, Lily and Sirius leave with Albus. They went down to the field to greet Harry, and when he left to go and change out of his uniform and the others walked away from the pitch toward the castle, I knew that I needed to get James aside to speak with him. I couldn't figure out how, but then something came to me. I just hoped that he would forgive me.

I flew over the heads of my husband and Lily , who were walking together, talking about something. Neither of them seemed to notice that it was me. _Sirius will have some explaining to do. I wonder if he can't feel me when I'm in my bird form?_ The pair that was behind them were the ones that I needed. As I flew over James, I dropped a small poop bomb on him, it landed with a small splat on his sleeve and he looked up. For a moment there was anger on his face, but once he recognized me, it was gone. I flew over towards the small outcropping of trees on the edge of the pitch.

"Hey, I just got hit with bird droppings. I'm gonna go clean this off," he said, and turned back toward the pitch. Albus nodded at him, and kept on walking. Once he was sure that the others were far enough away, he turned toward the forest where he had seen me fly in.

"Anwen, thanks so much for shitting on my robes," he said, taking his wand out and removing the offensive stain.

"I needed to get your attention. At least I aimed for your arm. I could have hit you in the head," I replied. He laughed at me.

"Okay, what's so important that you needed to get me away from everyone? I wanted to congratulate my son on his quick catch."

"Yes, do that for me as well. At least he didn't catch it in his mouth this time." I smirked at James and he nodded along. "Anyway, you remember when we had to go and check the wards at the Manor, because I saw someone trying to find them?" I asked him, his head movement indicated that he remembered, and I continued. "Remember I said that the magical signature was odd, like light and dark magic all at once? It's Snape's. I nearly fell from the sky when he paraded out onto the field today."

"Are you sure?" James asked me.

"James, do I look sure? It was Severus Snape that was trying to find your wards. I am absolutely sure of it."

"Okay." He exhaled deeply. "That is interesting, and I can see why you didn't want to say anything in front of Lily. Um, I'll tell the guys later, or maybe tomorrow. Remus was still sleeping when we left today," he said, looking very distracted. I nodded at him.

"Hey, I've got to get going. I should get back to the Ministry. Once the game is over, and everyone is back in the castle, we are supposed to leave the grounds. Don't tell Sirius that we talked. I don't think that he recognized me," I said, James nodded.

"He didn't. He thinks that the elderly guest of Albus was you. He tested the theory and got hit in the face with her handbag," James told me. _Darn it, I missed it._

"That was King. Please, please tease him for me." I smiled a devilish grin, and James confirmed with his look that he would indeed give my better half a hard time. "Go in and enjoy your lunch with Harry. I'll see you tomorrow night at Grimmauld for dinner. I'm sure that I will have news from Nicolas and Perenelle." He nodded and left the forest. I turned and apparated myself back to work.

February turned into March, and then into April. Easter fell very late this year, and it was beautiful weather for the kids to enjoy their spring holiday. Harry had invited his friend Hermione home with him for the break, since her parents were going away on holiday. Apparently, they had expected her to stay at school and study. Sirius and I were going out to spend a few days at the Manor while Harry was there. Ron and Ginny would be flooing over from the Burrow as well, and then everyone would be coming to Grimmauld for Easter Dinner. I was in the library, going over the last of the shopping needs for the meal, when a letter materialized before me. I knew that it was international post by the marking on it. My sister Eira had been helping my Ma with sending me Wizarding mail. To my surprise, it wasn't from Ma, it was from Eira. I was even more surprised when the letter opened itself and began yelling at me.

"Hey Sis," it started. Eira had no trace of either a Welsh or English accent. She was only 3 when they had moved to Canada, and she spoke with the faintest of Canadian ones, although she had indeed picked up some of the slang from there. "Long time, no see, eh. I was sitting in my International Wizarding History class the other day, when we got to the section on the British Pureblood Conflict. "Imagine my surprise to find out that there was a conflict there when I was a child that just happened to coincide with our emigration to Canada. Then, imagine how freaked I am when I turn the page, and there, staring back at me, is my big sister's picture. HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT YOU WERE SOME SORT OF WAR HERO? THAT YOU HAD HELP CATCH ALL THESE DARK WIZARDS WHO WANTED TO BRING ABOUT SOME STUPID PURE BLOOD REVOLUTION? THAT YOU AND SIRIUS WERE PART OF THE RESISTANCE? AND THEN, I FIND OUT THAT LITTLE HARRY, THE CUTE BOY FROM YOUR WEDDING, ACTUALLY STOPPED THE CRAZY LUNATIC THAT STARTED THE WHOLE THING? ANWEN, I'M YOUR SISTER. I FELT LIKE AN IDIOT! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME? I WILL BE AT YOUR MINISTRY TONIGHT BY PORTKEY AT 6PM. BE THERE TO GREET ME! Love and kisses, Eira."

With that, the letter tore itself to shreds. I sat there staring at the pile, unsure what to do. I had never received a howler before, and the fact that I had gotten one from my 14 year old sister shocked me. Sirius came in the room, his face contorted with concern.

"Did I just hear yelling?" He asked, coming to sit on my desk. I was still staring at the pile of confetti that the howler had created.

"Um, yes," I said, still disoriented from the experience. "It was a howler from Eira. She's a little peeved that she didn't know about how involved we were in the war. She's been studying it at school. She'll be here at 6 for a visit." I was sort of rambling.

"What? Your sister is coming, today, at 6." I nodded at him. "Okay." He kissed my head and got up and left. _Clearly, this isn't bothering him the way it's bothering me._ I got up and walked out of the room and down the stairs to the lowest level. I stuck my head in the fireplace and threw in a little floo powder. "Potter Manor." When the entryway to the Manor materialized, I called in.

"Lily. Lily are you there?" A moment later I heard her footsteps on the marble floor.

"Winnie, why are you calling? Is there something the matter?" she asked, bending down so that I could see her face, rather than her knees.

"Can I come over for a minute? I need to talk with you," I asked.

"You never need to ask, just come over." She said, and I stepped through the fire into her entryway. "Honestly, my house is always open to you," she said, hugging me hello.

"I didn't want to be rude. Anyway, you and James could have been working on that third child you want." I smiled at her.

"Yes, we want another child, but Evan is only eleven months old. And, for your information, James and I are not as likely to engage in our marital activities all over the house as another couple that we know." She smirked at me, and I smiled back at her. "Now, what's so important that you had to come over here now? Dinner is only a few hours away. James isn't even back with the kids from King's Cross yet."

"About that, I'll be late for dinner. I have to go to the Ministry at 6," I told her.

"They called you in, today? I thought that you had the weekend off from work."

"Oh, I do. My sister, Eira, is arriving by International Portkey at 6 at the Ministry, and I need to pick her up there. She sent me a howler because she didn't know that I was involved in the war. She's been studying it at school. Would it be a problem for her to come with us this weekend?" I asked my best friend.

"Of course not. She isn't much older than the kids herself. I'll make sure that a room is all ready for her. The more the merrier," she told me. I hugged her again.

"Thanks. I've got to get back. I want to finish my lesson plans for next week, so that I have the whole weekend free. We should be here by half past. Will you need to adjust the wards to let her in?" I asked

.

"I'll add her to the floo list when you leave. That's all that's needed." I nodded at her, and once again activated the fireplace and returned back home.

I completed my lesson plans and finished my small amount of packing in no time. I had few things that I needed to take, since if I forgot anything, I could just conjure it. I left the list with Kreacher who assured me that everything would be ready when we returned for supper on Sunday. Sirius left for the Manor and I headed over to the Ministry, and made my way to the Magical Transportation Office, and the Portkey agency.

"Anwen, what brings you up here?" Leslie Hewitt asked me. She was a sweet older woman who always handled my portkeys for me.

"My sister is arriving at 6:00 from Canada for the weekend."

"I saw the paperwork come through earlier today. I thought that she might be a relation. I didn't know that you had any other witches in your family."

"She's the only one. She's at school in Canada, in her fourth year. It was a bit of a surprise visit. I didn't know that she was coming until this morning."

"Is everything alright dear?" she asked me, her face showing concern.

"I think so. I actually think that she needs to do some research for school, and she needed my help. I'm glad to have her come to visit." I said, settling myself down in a chair to wait.

"Can I get you anything? Tea, biscuit, glass of pumpkin juice?"

"No, I replied, "but thank you. She should be here any minute."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she's early. Canadian ministry is one of the most organized in the world. I'll deal with them any day," the elderly witch mused and I couldn't help but smile at her. A few minutes later there was a whir of blue light, and my littlest sister appeared in a heap on the floor.

"I swear, I will never get used to the feeling of that. I don't know how anybody stays up on their feet when they land. Well, would you look at that, my sister actually owns a set of proper robes. I've never seen you in them," she said teasing me. Even though she was 14 years younger than me, Eira stood taller. She had short, sort of spiky hair that was so dark brown that it looked black. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and she had three earrings on one side, and two on the other. She was dressed in a flowy flowered dress with leggings underneath, and the strangest sneakers on her feet. She carried a small bag and a large sweater in her hands. Eira walked over and hugged me.

"Welcome to England." I said to her.

"Glad to be back, although, I don't have any memory of living in Wales. I've seen pictures, but none of it rings a bell. I barely remember your wedding 6 years ago. Hey, happy 29th birthday. I know I'm a couple of days late, but I had a lot of school work to take care of," she said, producing a rumpled card from her bag.

"Thanks. Leslie, do you need to see anything? Check her papers?" I asked the clerk.

"No deary. I trust you. Have a good weekend, and be back here 15 minutes before she is supposed to return to Canada on Sunday night. Have fun you two," she told us, and I left the office with my sister.

We went downstairs, and to the floo area of the Atrium. There wasn't much flooing in Canada, things were just too spread out, so most people portkeyed, including the students getting back and forth to school. Because of this, I took my sister by the hand and flooed us together over to the Manor. Lily and Sirius were waiting for us. Thankfully, Sirius caught my sister as she fell out of the fireplace.

"Eira, how are you?" he said as he helped to right her. "Don't feel bad, your big sister falls out of the one at home half of the time." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Thanks Sirius. See you haven't done anything with your hair since you were home last fall. Don't let Ma catch you with that mop. She just gave Islwyn a buzz cut because she thought his was too long," she teased him.

"I'll remember that when we visit again."

"Mrs. Potter, thank you so much for letting me come and stay here. I do hope that I haven't put you to too much trouble," Eira said politely. I was so proud of her.

"Nonsense. Harry and his friend Hermione just got back from Hogwarts, and his best friend Ron and some of his siblings are going to floo over tomorrow to spend the day. You're more than welcome here. Come on, dinner is ready. We were waiting for you," Lily said, indicating that we should head to the dining room. She took Eira by the arm and lead her in, while Sirius wrapped his arms around me to kiss me.

"I needed to welcome you properly," he said.

"Because you haven't seen me in what, 45 minutes? Honestly, sometimes I think that you are the school boy with a big old crush."

"Nope. No crushes, just completely enthralled by my beautiful wife." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You're excited that she is here, aren't you?" I nodded at him.

"Yes, I am. Come on, let's go get dinner. I am sure that Harry can't wait to have his mother's home cooking." We walked into the dining room arm and arm, and when Harry saw us he rolled his eyes.

"I told you, they act like 5th years who just discovered some new broom closet," Harry said to Hermione. _I can only imagine what he's been telling his friends. Great, just as long as he doesn't give my sister any ideas._

We sat down for a lovely meal. Conversation flowed, and my sister and Hermione seemed to hit it right off. They were discussing school and how the two schools did things differently. It was an enlightening conversation, and I promised them that I would answer their questions in the morning. Eira was lamenting that she hadn't brought along her broom, since Harry had let her know that they would be playing some Quidditch the next day. Sirius promised her that he would bring mine over and she could use it. I stayed up talking with my little sister, catching up on family gossip. It was fairly late when we finally turned in for the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi everyone, here's another chapter...Happy 4th to my American readers and a belated Happy Canada day to the canuks. This is a fun chapter, with some very important developments for the rest of the story. There is little understanding of the Wizengamot in canon, so I took some creative liscence. I'd love to hear from all of you who have put this story on alert and find out what you're thinking. I don't own HP, but I do have fun with it. Song for this chapter: "Nothing Really Matters" by Madonna. Thanks for reading and reviewing. MNF**

**Chapter 5:**

**History Lessons**

**Anwen POV:**

The next morning, I was up and out running before anyone else was even stirring. It was my time, my thinking time. It was great to have my sister here. I never felt like I knew her well, and after talking with her for a few hours last night, I had a better understanding of her and it made me happy. I ran the loop and was headed back to the house as the sun truly was starting to rise. The mist over the pond was beautiful and I could feel in my bones that it was going to be a good day. I let myself back in through the mudroom door and slipped my feet out of my trainers and into the slippers that I had left there. I walked into the kitchen, and Lily was already making breakfast.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if you would be up this early. I've got the coffee pot set up, just hit the button to get it started," Lily said. She was cracking eggs into a bowl. She had put the bangers in a pan to brown already. I could see the black pudding warming on the cooktops, and there were mushrooms and stewed tomatoes ready as well. The bread was waiting to be fried too..

"Lil, you're the best." I hit the button on the coffee maker and took a glass from the cabinet and poured myself a large glass of water from the tap, and started drinking it down. When I had drained the glass, I filled it again and went over to where she was working. "Anything that I can do to help?"

"Nope. I'm gonna wait to put these on until I hear some life from upstairs. If Evan hadn't woken up wanting his bottle, I might still be asleep. Come on, let's sit down and talk. We rarely have time without our spouses anymore." We walked into the lounge and sat down. Evan was in his playpen, happily chewing on his toys.

"You know, I thought it was a good idea to have them working together, but honestly, I think they spend as much time together now as they did in school. I'm still not sure how much work they get done," I confided.

"You're right, but at least they're having fun with what they do...and we got them out of the house," she agreed. We both laughed. "Any luck with the baby making?"

"Nope. The Healer says that I should be able to get pregnant, I'm just not. It certainly isn't for lack of trying. Honestly, I thought that at some point, the sex drive was supposed to slow down..." I looked at her confused.

"Anwen you and Sirius exude sex. It's the wildest thing to be around you, it's like you need to be in contact with one another. Sirius needs to touch you, and you need to be near him. Honestly, I'm a little jealous sometimes, I think there are days James forgets that I'm a woman. It's got to be your binding. " I felt a little bad for her. I reached over and took her hand. "It's okay. Maybe we should take a vacation together, go someplace romantic?"

"I think that's the perfect idea. You are welcome to the flat in Monaco, and the boys can stay with us. Go and have some time away. With my luck, you'll come back pregnant," I griped, then realizing as the words left me how it must have sounded. "Lil, I'm sorry," I apologized, "I don't begrudge you the boys, you know that right? I'm just frustrated right now."

"I know. It will come, just give it time." I nodded at her, but I couldn't help but feel discouraged in the whole thing. I went and got a cup of coffee, and we sat there for a while longer, talking, until the others began to filter downstairs. My sister was one of the first ones up.

"How do you deal with the time change when you come to visit. It's killing me here. I feel like it's the middle of the night." She flopped down in the chair near us.

"I just set my watch to the time wherever I am, and drink a whole lot of water and coffee. And do my best to sleep when it's night wherever I am. You'll get the hang of it, I promise. I used to have to travel a lot," I told her.

"Coffee, you mean you Brits drink coffee. O thank heavens," my sister squealed.

"No, we don't, but your sister does. It's done in the kitchen. The only time the pot gets used is when she's here. Would you like some breakfast?" Lily asked her.

"Depends, what do you eat here? 'Cause I have to be honest, some of the stuff that I've read that you eat, it's well, gross." I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"How's toast and jam?" Lily asked her, guessing that it was some of the more meat–laden dishes that the guys would down when they were awake, were the dishes that Eira was referring to. _She really is a Canuck._ The three of us went into the kitchen and I started the toast while Lily pulled jam out.

"Okay sis, I told you I would answer any of your questions today, so go ahead, shoot. What do you need to know?" I turned around to face her. My hands were wrapped around my refreshed mug of coffee, and Lily was handing one to Eira.

"First things first. Are you really a war hero?" she asked me sounding skeptical. I took a deep breath.

"I don't know if you would call me a hero, but yes, I did work with the resistance," I told her quietly.

"She's being humble. Your sister singlehandedly got Ewan duChamp into England, and then got him back out. That alone saved Harry, James and my life. She went up against Dark Wizards and brought a lot of them to justice. Azkaban, the Wizarding prison, is full in large part because of what your sister and her partner did," Lily interjected.

"Wait a minute, you went after the Dark Wizards? You know Ewan duChamp? Anwen, you could have a whole chapter in my book written about you. Anything else that I don't know?" my sister quired.

"Actually, there is a whole section in Hogwarts: A History written about Mrs. Black," Hermione said, entering the room. It was time for my mouth to fall open.

"What?" I asked her. "And Hermione, I told you, Mrs. Black was a rather rude woman, who I have nothing in common with. Please call me Anwen or Aunt Winnie. Now, what were you saying about Hogwarts: A History?"

"Well, you are the only student in the twentieth century to have been registered as an Animagus while still enrolled. Additionally, it says that you have the highest recorded score on the Ancient Runes OWL exam. Is it true that you can speak seventeen languages? The Who's Who of the Ministry said that you can," the girl said, coming to sit at the table. Lily had come to sit next to me.

"Um, yes, I can. All of this is in those damned books? I didn't know anyone actually ever read those things?" I was still feeling a little dumbfounded.

"I had read Hogwart's: A History before I started school last fall. I wanted to be prepared. So, how did you do so well on your Runes examination, because honestly, I am finding the translations difficult," she said, taking the toast from my plate and eating it. I was still in a stunned silence.

"Um, you need to watch the direction that the quill strokes are made when you are doing the translations. Often it will help you distinguish which way the rune should be read, since before they were standardized in 463, you could write right to left or left to right. I can show you later if you would like. Plus, there is a better translation guide than the one they use at Hogwarts, of course it's written in French, so it might not be of any help to you. Harry can do the French/English translations however, if you wanted to get a copy. Sorry, I'm rambling, I'm a little, um, distracted here." I took a deep breath and looked at the young girl. "Really, I'm spoken about in the Hogwarts book, and in your history text book? Why would anyone care about me?" I asked, things were just sort of tumbling out of me. _I wish Sirius were awake here, I could use his strength right now to help me clear my mind. _I went to try and read him, but I could tell that he was still asleep, and given what was coursing through him right now, I think he was having a rather erotic dream. _Okay, you don't need that right now. _I quickly closed myself off to my husband's emotions.

"Why are you so surprised? We've all been telling you for years just how amazing you are. Did you know that your sister finished Hogwarts in only six years, and that included her starting her Auror training while she was still in school?" Lily interjected.

"Wait, you finished school early? Darn it sis, how smart are you?" Eira said, putting her cup down on the table. I couldn't even come up with anything to say. "This Auror Training, what does it entail? How did you start it while you were still in school?"

"Okay, those are questions that I can answer. Auror Training is usually done at the Auror School, which is where I teach now. It's usually a three year process, half class work, half field experience. I had six months of training, because we were in the middle of a war, and they needed me and my special skills as soon as they could get me out into the field." I looked at her, and I could tell that she was confused. "Eira, I'm really good at Transfigurations, and can disguise myself fairly easily. Plus, with the whole languages thing, I could go into other countries, to get international help. Professor Dumbledore and Alastor Moody trained me personally, and they did it in six months. I don't recommend it, and I doubt that it would have happened that way if the circumstances had been any different." I really didn't want to have to tell her about the projecting and visualization things, not with Hermione here. I didn't know her well, and even after all of these years, there weren't many people who knew that I could do it.

"So, what do you teach?" my sister asked me. _At least these are questions that I feel comfortable answering._

"I teach both sections of Transfigurations, the basic first year course and the advanced second year course, which is all human transfiguration. I teach all three sections of Wizarding Law, one for each year and this term I started teaching Crime Scene Analysis. I also help with the dueling practice. My partner, Kingsley and I are undefeated in the Auror Department. I also pull a few duty shifts per week, and when there are high profile crimes, I end up on the team that is in charge. King and I are considered Senior Aurors, and there are only eight of us in the department," I told them. My sister seemed genuinely impressed.

Hermione and Eira started talking, comparing notes on what their books said about me, Lily, James and Harry. They were quite animated in their conversations and I just sat there listening to them, feeling a bit disconnected from my own body. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Lily told them the whole story, about how the binding potion disabled Voldemort's body, eventually ripping him apart. She gave them the glossed over version, not letting them know of our suspicions about what actually had happened to him. The conversation came to a close when Harry came down, and begged them to drop the subject. He wasn't ever comfortable with his moniker as "the boy who lived".

"Wait, Hermione said that you are an Animagus. What animal do you become, sis?" Eira said as she drank down the last of her coffee.

"Um, a kestrel. It's a kind of falcon. Sirius becomes a big black dog and James is a stag," I told her, not really thinking about all of the information that I was imparting. It was okay to share that now, they had finally gotten around to registering themselves, being respectable business men and all.

"Can I see sometime?" she asked.

"Sure. Maybe later. Harry, what time are the Weasleys coming over?" I asked him, thankful to change the topic.

"Before lunch, why? You want to play Quidditch with us?" he smirked at me.

"You bet I do. I'll put my Seeker skills up against yours any day, little man."

"You're on Aunt Winnie, and I'm as tall as you are, who are you calling little?." he grinned at me.

"Harry, you will always be my little man." I smiled at him in a very motherly way, and he rolled his eyes at me and gave me that bored, pre-teen look I was all too familiar with.

"Don't even tell me that you play Quidditch too?" my sister asked. I nodded. "Seeker?"

"My last two years, the three before that I was a Chaser. I played with Sirius and James for those years, we won the house cup too. James played Chaser and was captain, Sirius was a Beater," I told them. Hermione was nodding. _Must all be in that damned book of hers. _"Hermione, was there anything about Sirius and the boys in the book? They called themselves 'The Marauder's'?"

"Nothing about them, although the Weasley twins are quite taken with the legends of that gang of boys. They try to emulate them. Stupid gits." She shook her head at her memories of Fred and George. "No, Mr. Black -- I'm sorry, Uncle Sirius-- is only in there as the person that holds the record for the most amount of time spent in detention while enrolled at Hogwarts." I started laughing so hard that I fell off my chair. Remus had come downstairs as well, and he and Lily were holding onto the kitchen counter to keep from falling over as well. When I was finally able speak, I looked at Lily and Remus. "At least it's that he's famous for. I can't think of a few things I would be completely embarrassed to have written about him in a book." They both nodded at me.

"You've got to dish now," my sister begged, leaning in towards me.

"No! Eira you are far too young," I told her, she pouted at me. "That won't work. Once you're of age, we'll talk again." I smiled at her and she rolled her eyes. James and Sirius finally rolled out of bed, and when my husband came into the kitchen, we all started laughing at him.

"What?" he asked me.

"Nothing love. Nothing at all," I said, getting up and kissing him good morning. I could hear all three students groan behind me.

"Alright you three, why don't you go get dressed. The Weasleys should be here soon," Lily told them, and they all filed out. I was glad to see my sister getting along with Harry and his friend. Lily pulled the eggs and the rest of the bangers off the cook top, and grabbed the rest of the things so that they could eat their full English. My stomach lurched at the black pudding and tomatoes that Sirius scooped onto his fried bread and shoveled into his mouth.

"That was an interesting conversation. Sirius, your wife is an international celebrity," Lily teased me. Sirius looked at me, but I just shook my head. Just then, Comet, Lily's owl came in, delivering the _Daily Prophet._ James took it from him and gave him a bit of his breakfast, and the tawny bird flew back out the kitchen window. James opened the paper up, and then dropped it again.

"I don't believe it. Dumbledore is convening the Council of Thirteen. I wonder why? It hasn't met in at least 15 years," he said.

"I wonder what families will be on it. We were in school the last time that one was held," Sirius said. Remus nodded at him.

"Someone want to tell me about this council. What is it? What families are they talking about?" Lily asked. The guys all turned to look at me. I shrugged and started talking.

"Since I'm teaching Wizarding Law, this falls to me, huh?" They all nodded. "All right. The Council of Thirteen is made up of the oldest member of the Thirteen oldest Wizarding families in Great Britain. It can only be called by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, who must be a member of one of the families sitting on the council. Dumbledore has been Chief Warlock for what, thirty years now. It hasn't been convened since 1974, because nothing was getting accomplished, but there would be remarkable change since then, so many of the members have either died or been put in jail. You can't sit on the council if you are in prison. The council holds veto power over the Wizengamot, and they can make laws and even override things that have been passed by the Ministry. The idea being, that with thirteen members, there would never be a tie, and it would keep power from being collected by one individual."

"I wonder who's on the council now?" Sirius asked me.

"I can find out. Hold on," I said, and held my hand out. A rather large tome, covered in dark blue dragon skin appeared in my hands.

"Why can't that be one of the skills that I got when our magic was merged? I mean seriously, how cool would it be to be able to conjure things like that?" Sirius complained.

"Albus told you that it probably wouldn't be a skill that you could get without a lot of work and time. It's really hard, and I was born with the skill, you're just trying to acquire it. Be patient. It will come with time," I said, stroking his hand. He didn't seem placated.

"Okay, let's see what the Registry of the Wizengamot has to say here." I opened the book and held my hand over it, the pages started to flip and when they came to rest, I began reading. "Well, the Dumbledores are now the oldest family in the book, and they are represented by Albus. The next oldest are the Bones, and that would be Amelia, right?" James nodded at me. "Third is the Crabbe family." I made a face at the last name. "That would unfortunately be Crispin. Idiot. Fourth, hey, sitting here at the table, the head of the fourth oldest Wizarding family, Mr. James Potter." I clapped my hands at James and Sirius and Remus followed suit. "Next is the Abbott family, that would make Grace the family representative."

"Next is the Black Family, your family has moved up to number six." I stopped and took a deep breath. "And if I am reading this correctly, your Great Aunt Cassiopeia must have passed, because you are the family rep. Congratulations love," I said, kissing him.

Sirius looked at me shocked. "Wait, wouldn't it be my Aunt Lucretia?" he asked me.

"No. When she married into the Prewett family, she lost her standing as a Black. And she must have died as well, because the Prewett's aren't on the council anymore either." He looked shocked and stunned. "Are you alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it's just, wow. I'm on the Council of Thirteen. I really never expected that I would sit on it. It also means that we're it, the last Blacks in all of Wizarding Great Britain," he said, looking at me, lacing his fingers through mine.

"Give it time love, we'll have more, and build your family back," I said, stroking his hand. I could see in his face that what we had learned about his father and grandfather was weighing hard upon him. He desperately wanted to change his family legacy. "You're also on the Wizengamot now. The oldest families have automatic seats," I told them, and he and James nodded at me.

"Okay, so we are the sixth, that makes the Goyle's the seventh, oh great, and Lucius Malfoy is the eighth. My favorite person in the whole world." A chill passed through me, and Sirius could tell. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head. "Number nine is dear old Augusta Longbottom. One woman that none of us would ever want to cross." They all nodded in agreement.

"Um, okay, now for the new families to the council, at number ten we have Dilworth Beamish," I said.

"Why do I know that name?" Remus asked.

"His grandfather, Oswald, was the first promoter of Goblin rights. He was a really good man," I replied and he nodded, remembering something from school. "Hey, at number eleven we have Arthur Weasley. Right old family reunion here. I'm glad, Arthur is a good man. Number twelve, eewe, it's the Nott family. And finally, this is interesting, Devlin Whiteborn. Good to know that you can create an awesome broom, and sit on the Council of Thirteen," I smiled.

"Which broom is that Anwen?" James asked me.

"Why, ask your son, I bet he knows who Devlin Whiteborn is." I said, as Harry walked back in the room. He looked at me and smiled.

"Dad, he's the creator of the Nimbus brand. It's all that Portree will ride. I'm surprised that you don't know that," Harry said, sounding as if he was reminding his dad of his birthday or some other vital bit of information.

"Well, there you have it, the most recent listing of the Council of Thirteen. And, given that this book updates itself whenever there is any change whatsoever to Wizengamot laws, I think we can be assured that it is correct. Oh, this is neat, if we lose another family, the next one to join would be the Diggorys. Amos is a stalwart bloke, I would love to see him on the council. Anyway, that's neither here nor there," I said, closing the book, and making it disappear back to the library at home. Just then, we heard Evan stirring in his playpen. He had fallen asleep playing, and it sounded like he was awake now. Lily got up to take care of her young son.

"Sit down Mum, I'll give Evan his bottle and then take him upstairs. Hermione wanted to play with him some, and Eira seems to like him too. We need to give them a chance, because once Ginny gets here, Evan won't go to anyone else. He loves her," Harry said, walking to the fridge to get a bottle and then leaving the room. Lily smiled at her son's burst of responsibility.

"Anwen, you said that Sirius' aunt lost her place when she got married. What did you mean?" Lily asked me.

"When a woman gets married, she looses her place in the line of succession in her birth family. It has to do with dowry money and witches being considered property for the first, oh about, 1000 years of Wizarding history. Think of it this way, if something were to happen to James, and Harry was not yet of age, you would become the head of the Potter family, and would represent them on the council. As long as someone with the last name of Potter exists, the family has the seat, and the oldest member is the representative. It doesn't follow blood lines, it follows last names. That's why Grace Abbott and Augusta Longbottom are sitting on the Council. It's fascinating, it was Perenelle Flamel that got the laws changed. It used to be that the seats would fall along blood lines, but she could see that certain families were intermarrying, to consolidate power, and creating voting blocks. She was also deeply affected by witnessing what happened with the Muggle throne with Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Scots. She could see that bloodlines could be a problem. I believe that it was in 1570 that she finally got the changes made." They were looking at me, I guess interested, so I continued.

"Perenelle instead suggested that it be along name lines, hence a wife could succeed a husband on the council. It wasn't until the 1720's however, that someone of less than pure blood status could be seated. That was a mess, the Ministry hadn't been in existence very long, and people were still wondering about why the Full Council of Wizards had been dissolved, and many Wizarding families were starting to have problems with the gene pool not being diversified enough. Strange birth defects and sick children. It wasn't pretty. In fact, it was very similar to what happened to the royal bloodlines at the turn of the century in the Muggle world," I continued. Everyone was just staring at me, blank faced.

"Thanks Professor Black. At least you're more animated than Binns," my husband mused at me. "Do you talk that fast when you're teaching, because I couldn't have kept up with you in class?" I cocked my eyebrow at him, and gave him the look. "Okay, okay, Professor Hodgson-Black. Sorry, I forget about that." He leaned over and kissed me.

"No, I don't talk that fast, or ramble so. I just find this stuff interesting. It was about that same time that they decided that someone who had been convicted of a crime couldn't hold a seat on the Council as well. Glad that someone finally realized that if you had been put into jail, you might not have the moral fortitude to help create the laws for the Wizarding community," I added sarcastically. "It was because of this great law that we have lost the Lestrange, Dolohov and Mulciber families from the council. Darn, they were such fine, upstanding citizens."

"Please Anwen, don't hold back your opinion there," Remus teased me.

"Remus, I put five of the six of them in prison myself. I know what they did to people." I suddenly became very serious, and I could tell that I had taken the room with me. "But, you do have to be British–born, which is why the Flamel family is not on the council. Nicolas was born in France." The mood seemed to have changed, so I went on to a new topic.

"Anyway...Lily, let me look at that list," I said reaching for the hand scrawled listing of the family names she had made. She handed it to me, and I started going over it. "There may not be anything that needs to be discussed by Albus right now, but I bet that he's convening the council just to judge where people stand. I mean look at this list. Compared with where it was when they last met, Dumbledore can feel fairly sure that there is a block of people who will listen and made sound choices, based only on information presented. Potter, Bones, Longbottom and Abbott would have always been that way, and with Albus, it would have given them a block of five; but there were just too many Death Eater families on the council before. But look, now, you add to these five Arthur Weasley and Dilworth Beamish, he's got seven level headed people. And, Sirius, your family vote has flipped as well, since it would have been your grandfather who would have last been seated. I know that you and he would never vote the same way on anything." Sirius nodded and smiled at me at the comment. "Albus is probably just feeling the water."

"You think it has to do with what we're worried about?" James said, talking in code for our concern about Voldemort's eventual return. I nodded at him.

"I think that everything Albus does is in some way related to that," I said grimly. We all sat there looking at each other, until we heard noise in the entryway. James and Lily got up to greet the arriving Weasley children. The four youngest, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George came into the room, followed by James. Shorty thereafter, we heard heavy footsteps on the stairs coming down, and Harry — carrying Evan — Hermione and Eira joined us. When Evan saw Ginny, he nearly threw himself at her. Ginny picked up the little boy and gave him a kiss.

"Hi there big guy. I missed you." She smiled at him.

"Ginny, he was with you two days ago. You and mum had him on Thursday, all day," Ron complained.

"I know, but I like Evan, and he likes me," she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother for effect, and turned her attention back to the child now pulling on her hair.

Harry politely made introductions, and then they started making plans to go out and fly. Sirius quickly flooed home and then back, carrying with him three brooms. He handed Eira my old broom, resting ours in the mud room. The adults decided that we would shower and change clothes, and then we would be out to play them in a while.

Less than an hour later, we were outside getting ready to play five on five Quidditch. We couldn't convince Hermione to get up on a broom, but we did get Remus to play. Everyone gushed over my broom, and I could see the excitement in Sirius's face when I proudly showed it off. _He was right, it was an awesome broom, and I really like flying on it. _Harry didn't look happy that I would be flying on it.

"Come on, Aunt Winnie, that isn't fair. You've got the perfect broom," he whined.

"Don't blame me, blame your godfather. He bought me the broom, I just get to fly it. Anyway, if I don't fly on it, Eira will." I smiled at him, and he looked disappointed. "Tell you what, once we've won the match, you can all take a spin on it." He smiled at that..

The teams were set, with the Weasleys and Harry on one team, and the rest of us on the other. We decided to play with one Beater, two Chasers, a Keeper and a Seeker. Harry would be the Seeker on the "young" team, with George as the Keeper, Fred as the Beater, and Ginny and Ron as Chasers. On our team, we had Remus acting as the Keeper, which he preferred, since he didn't actually have to fly as much. I would be the Seeker and Sirius would be the Beater. James and Eira would play as Chasers. I watched the two of them practice, and realized that my sister was really good.

I kicked off and flew around the pitch in the back of the Manor. I loved the feeling of flying, and the broom handled so well, and it was tuned up perfectly. Quickly Harry came up and joined me.

"You do know, I'm better than you at this, Aunt Winnie," Harry taunted. _Silly little boy, you don't want to play this game with me._

"Harry, I was flying before you were even born. You're good, but my dear boy, I am better," I smiled back at him. He shook his head. _I know I shouldn't but I think that I will knock him down a few notches._ I smiled down at Sirius, and he looked thrilled to be again playing Quidditch. He had missed it much more than I ever had, and I could tell that he was relishing being able to play today. He was filled with enthusiasm and a reckless abandon that I hadn't felt in a while. It made me happy to know that he was relaxed and enjoying himself.

Lily released all of the balls, and the snitch came up and familiarized itself with both Harry and me. He and I flew lazy circles above the pitch, watching the action below. James and Eira flew well together, and were actually well matched as a pair of Chasers. She was fast and agile, he was strong and sure. George did a good job as Keeper, but they continued to score. On the other end, Remus wasn't being given much of a work out, because Ron wasn't very good. Little Ginny could already outfly him, but he kept trying to baby her and protect her, so that they were continually fighting with each other. George yelled at them once, after Eira scored her fifth goal, but it didn't seem to help. Harry and I couldn't help but laugh at them. Sirius wasn't even trying to hit them with the Bludger after a while, knowing that they were doing a much better job of keeping each other from scoring than he ever would. I smiled down at him when they went at each other again, completely missing the fact that James had stolen the Quaffle and had scored again. Us old folks were up by almost 200 points now. Sirius threw his head back, and laughed in his loud, bark like way.

A few minutes later, I spied the Snitch, close to the tree line, on the far side of the pitch, halfway to our goals. I needed to get over there, without Harry following me._ Time for the fancy flying this broom was made for. I think I'll take young Harry on my own version of Cat and Mouse._ I quickly dove for the grass on the pitch, going in steep and straight. Just before I reached the ground, I turned on a dime and sped back up. Harry had taken the bait and was following me closely. I removed my hands from my broom, and as I passed him, I ruffled his hair, much like I had done to his father all those years ago. He lost his balance at the contact, and started to slow down. I quickly sped by him, again, twisting and turning and speeding right for the Snitch. It was in my hands before Harry realized what had happened. I stopped and held it high. Sirius was whooping below and my sister was whistling. I flew down and kissed my husband.

"Nice catch there love. You sure that you don't want to try and have a professional Quidditch career?" he asked me.

"I don't think now is the time to be contemplating a career change. It was fun though." We were holding hands, hovering in mid air. The rest of the our team flew over to congratulate me, and even my little sister seemed impressed. But, it was Harry who had the biggest look of shock and awe on his face.

"How did you take your hands off your broom, at that speed? You have to teach me to do that," he demanded.

"Harry, when you have to duel while you are flying at high speeds, you will learn to take your hands off, and steer with your balance. But I don't recommend that you try it yet. This broom has stability control to help me do that, because I need to have both hands free to do my most effective magic. And, I've been flying like that for a lot longer than you can imagine." He nodded at me, looking disappointed. "But, if you want, I can try teaching you some of the basics over the summer. Okay?"

"That would be awesome Aunt Winnie. Thanks. You really are good, and I guess, just because you're old doesn't mean that you can't play Quidditch well," he said begrudgingly, pulling something from his pocket and tossing it to his godfather.

"You didn't place a bet on this game, did you?" Sirius nodded at me. "With your eleven year old godson?" He nodded again. "Give him the gold back, now," I said, and he threw it back at Harry. "Honestly, which one of you is the child?" I shook my head at him and flew down to the ground and dismounted. Harry followed me. "You know, you're team would have won, if Ginny and Ron hadn't been at each other's throats the whole time. They lost you the game."

"Yeah, I know. It would have at least been closer if they could have worked together. Ron thinks he needs to protect her. God help the boy that ever dates Ginny, her brothers will be a nightmare. Your sister is good too, and she's pretty." _Oh no, please don't tell me that my nephew has a crush on my little sister._

"Yes, and she's going back to Canada tomorrow. Here, take it for a fly," I said handing him my broom. "Just be careful with it, you break it and your godfather will hex you, I'm sure." Harry nodded at me, and kicked off. As he took off, he let off a great whoop.

"I so need to get me one of these. I like it better than the Nimbus, no matter what Portree might fly," he yelled back at me. I couldn't help but laugh at him.

The rest of Saturday passed as lazily, most of the kids flying or playing games. The adults relaxed on the back deck in the warm spring sun. I did some Rune translations with Hermione, and she appreciated my instruction on how to follow the quill strokes. I changed over and flew around for a while in my falcon form, my sister following after me on my broom. We had dinner and everyone retired fairly early.

The next morning, I got up to check on things at home. Kreacher had the meal going, and the dining room was already set and prepared. There was little for me to do, so I returned to the manor. Late in the morning, went back home and put the finishing touches on things, and we ate Easter Supper at 2:00. We were joined by the whole Weasley clan, well all but Bill and Charlie, who were away at work, and the Tonks's. I had to work very hard to remember to call Dora, Tonks – it was what she preferred to be called now. I really struggled when we were at Auror school. She still reminded me of the little girl who stood on Remus's feet to dance at our wedding.

I bid a rather tearful goodbye to my littlest sister at the Ministry late that afternoon. She would be headed to see Ma and Da before she had to return to her magical academy in a few days. I sent her with pictures and all sorts of information about our involvement in the war. I also gave her Ewan's address and let her know that I had fire called him already, and he would be expecting her letter regarding the binding potion. She was excited. "I'll have the best project in my International Wizarding History class." she beamed, and I nodded at her.

"Glad that I could help," I said back, and she disappeared in a swirl of blue light.

A month later, we were all in the kitchen at the Manor. James, Sirius, Remus and I were sitting around the table, Lily was pacing the kitchen, randomly cleaning things, clearly upset.

"His finals begin in a week, and what is our son doing tonight, he's serving detention for being out of the castle at night. Of all of the stupid, childish things that he could do," she ranted.

"Lily, love, he is a child," James tried to remind her. She turned and glared at him.

"That's not helping, James. You know he was only out because of that damned cloak. I wanted you to wait to give it to him, but no, you needed to give it to him at Christmas. Now, he's up and out at night." She shook her head at him and turned to scrub the same section of counter that she had just scrubbed. If I wasn't afraid of her wrath, I would have laughed at her.

"Lily, it's only one night of detention, and they're serving it with Hagrid. It's about the easiest and safest detention that there is at the school." Remus tried to calm her. "Come on, we all had detention at some point." Lily turned on her heel and glared at him.

"The three of you did. I didn't. Anwen didn't," she said sternly.

"Actually Lily, I had detention, once," I said meekly.

"What? When?" ahe said, looking at me shocked.

"Remember when I punched Regulus after the Quidditch match my sixth year? While neither Madame Hooch or Minerva wanted to give it to me, they had to on principle. I had punched someone in the face. I had to serve one night with Minerva," I told her.

"What did she make you do?" James asked, clearly intrigued.

"Um, I had to sample biscuits for her to use at tea. It was pretty lame. We ate biscuits, drank tea and talked about Transfigurations. She really didn't want to punish me. He'd called me some pretty nasty things after all, he deserved to be punched," I told them. The guys were all laughing.

"Sure, you get to eat biscuits and drink tea. We had to scrub cauldrons and clean bathrooms," Sirius complained.

"Yes, but I don't hold the record for the most amount of time spent in detention in the history of the school either, love." I smirked back at him, and he beamed back at me. I shook my head at him.

"That's why Harry is the way he is. He's listened to the three of you for all these years. Talking about your 'glory days' and all of the stupid things that you did." Lily started to cry. James got up and walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"Lily, he'll be fine. He's with Hagrid. He won't let anything happen to him. Come on now, relax. Harry is safe," James said, trying to soothe her.

"Is he really? Are you sure?" She looked up at him, concern clearly crossing over her face.

"He is Lily. Nothing can happen to him while he's at school. Dumbledore will keep him safe, and once he's home, we will all be with him. Everything is fine, I promise," James whispered to his wife, but I could tell as I looked at him, that there was concern behind his eyes as well.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know that I said Tuesday, but this is coming early, since I got called into work tomorrow. The action really picks up here, and we see canon events through a slightly different perspective. Song for this chapter is "The Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner. Thanks to everyone who is reading and to those of you who take time to review. I don't HP...you all know that. Thanks again, Mutt

**Chapter 6:**

**Through the Elf Door**

**Sirius POV:**

"Darling, where are you?" I yelled from the landing on the first floor. I knew she wasn't in the kitchen, nor the back yard, having checked them both on my way to my current location. A cloud of silvery white floated down from the stairs and gracefully landed in front of me.

"Love, if you continue to scream in the house like that, I will charm you to keep you silent while you're home," Anwen's voice said calmly from the griffin standing in front of me. "I'm upstairs grading exams in the Library." The vision dissolved and I started my ascent. I was taking off the damned Council of Thirteen robes and medallion that I had been required to wear to the ministry this morning. _Stupid traditions, the dumb medallion weighs far too much and why in the world did they pick bright blue as the color for the council?_ As I reached the library I was once again only in my much more comfortable clothes. I slipped my feet from my dress shoes and left them on the floor by the chair I had laid my robes on it, and slipped on the old trainers that I had left sitting in here last night.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt you to dress in grown-up's clothing every once in a while," my wife mused at me, looking up over her glasses. I was perfectly happy in my jeans and button down shirt. "I thought you looked very handsome this morning," she added with a crooked smile before setting her quill down, taking off her glasses and getting up out of her chair. "How did the meeting go?"

"It was what you expected, Dumbledore was basically testing where people stood. He asked open–ended questions about the state of things, any concerns that we had about the ministry or Hogwarts or really, anything. Malfoy rambled about the falling standards at the school, turns out that little Draco isn't doing as well in Charms as Daddy had hoped," I told her. We came to be seated next to each other on one of the love seats in the room. Her head was resting on my shoulder, our fingers entwined. "Amelia was concerned about the size of the incoming Auror class for the fall. Apparently Fudge is cutting the number of new Aurors that can begin the training. Did you know about this?"

"Yes," Anwen said, nodding. "Moody came in and told us yesterday. The man is a shortsighted moron. I swear, if he picks another fight with Alastor, he will leave the department. Rufus keeps trying to quell the conflict, but he's such a politician himself that sometimes it just sounds like he's talking out of both sides of his mouth. Honestly, I think he'd make more sense if he talked out of his arse," she quipped and I chuckled at her bluntness. "It would be a bad thing if the department lost Mad–Eye," she continued, her mood changing completely. "It's not only how good he is and all of the information that he has, but he really is a great teacher. I wouldn't be half as skilled as I am if it wasn't for him." I smiled at her.

"Well, Albus has set another meeting for the fifteenth of July, but has the right to call an emergency meeting if needed. We all agreed. He also told me to tell you to stop by when you are on guard on Thursday, he has something for you in his office." She nodded at me. Teaching as much as she was now, Anwen's active duty shifts had fallen to just two per week, Monday and Thursday, four to midnight. Monday's she was the chief investigator in the office, Thursdays she and King were out patrolling, usually in Hogsmeade. She was also on the short list for special events, like Quidditch matches and the Hogwart's Express. She would be in and out in Hogsmeade a lot in the next three weeks. "How are the essays going?"

"Fine. Some of the second years are really struggling with the Investigations part of the course work. They think being an Auror is all about dueling, and that's so far from the truth. There are at least two of them that wouldn't be able to identify evidence if it jumped up and bit them. I don't know what to do," she said, sounding upset that she may not have reached these particular students.

"Can I ask how Dora is doing?" I questioned her, knowing that if she didn't want to tell me, she wouldn't.

"Don't let her catch you calling her Dora. She goes by Tonks now, just Tonks. I was having a terrible time remembering it, until the day she decided to call me "Aunt Winnie" while I was teaching. She'll hex you, dear, if you call her Dora, or worse, Nymphadora. Anyway, she tested right out of Transfiguration One, and I am sure that she will do the same with Concealment and Disguises in the fall. Kingsley has the hardest time with her in covert operations . She can be quiet as a mouse, but then she'll fall over her own feet." Anwen stopped and shook her head. _I could see that, Dora-- urgh Tonks – has always been clumsy_. "She's observant though, has a fair mind with the law, and damn creative in a fire fight. I'd take her on as my trainee when she's in her third year."

"That's good to know. Andromeda is so proud of her, I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't one of the students you were having trouble with." She shook her head at me and then settled herself against me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her.

"Thought at all about where you would like to go this summer?" I asked her. We had decided that it would be nice to get away for a while.

"Not really. We are going out to the Manor, or the boys are going to come and say here that second week of July, so that James and Lily can use our house in Monaco, but other than that, I haven't really thought about it. I have some studies that I need to work on with Harry as well. I think I'd like to take Ginny somewhere for a day or two also. She's really been applying herself to not only her work with me, but also her language and art studies, and since she is turning eleven in August, I thought it would be a nice way to reward her. Her Italian is superb, maybe a few days in Rome or Venice?" I was twirling Anwen's hair between my fingers as she spoke. There were days that I still reveled in her kindness.

"Whatever you want," I told her, kissing her head. "I heard back from Targnof yesterday, and I stopped in to see him at the bank while I was out. There were three children that my grandfather fathered that we were sure of. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more, he wasn't exactly faithful to my grandmother, it was most assuredly an arranged marriage and I doubt that there was any affection there at all. I know that there really wasn't between my parents. I can't imagine spending my life with someone I didn't love as deeply as I love you," I told my wife and she sighed quietly as I spoke. "Anyway, these three were the only ones that we could confirm with any certainty. Two of them died while still young, one was about five, the other twelve. The last one died without ever marrying." She turned to look at me.

"Sirius, you did your best, and if we had found them alive, or even their children, you were going to do right by them. Please don't worry so about something that you couldn't control." I knew what she was saying was right, but I still couldn't somehow help feeling just a little responsible for the awful lives these children must have led. "Look at me, please," she asked so gently, putting her hand on my face to turn it to her. "You are not your grandfather. You didn't do this." She then kissed me, and I remembered why it was that I loved her so very much. At moments like these, when we could simply be, I would let my guard down and feel all of her love and devotion wash over me, while I swear that it was her heart that was beating in my chest. The feeling was so overpowering that I could only do it when I knew that it was safe to be distracted by it.

When the kiss ended, she laid her head back on my chest, and I was content just to hold her. "Darling, have you had any word from the Healers?" I asked her. She shook her head against me. It would seem that another month had come, and gone, and she was not yet pregnant.. "Well then, I think that we should go and get to work on our little project. What do you think, can you take a few hours away from your grades?" She turned her head to look at me, and gave me the littlest smile, but her eyes were dancing with happiness. I captured her lips once again with my own.

**Anwen POV:**

Thursday night I found myself on patrol in Hogsmeade. Like most nights on patrol there, it was rather boring. When they students weren't here on their Saturday trips in, this was truly a sleepy little town. King and I strolled the streets, I stopped in to buy some raspberry cream chocolates for Sirius and then we walked down to the Three Broomsticks. We didn't run into more than 10 people the whole night. _Easiest patrol duty there is._

"Hey King, Albus said that he needed to see me tonight. Do you mind if I head up to the castle before it gets too late?" I asked my partner as I drained my coffee cup. He was still nursing the same butterbeer that he had been drinking for the last hour.

"No. I'll take another walk though the streets, maybe head over toward the Shrieking Shack and see if I hear anything. Supposed to be the most haunted house in all of Britain. Go on, say hi to him for me."

"You do know it's not really haunted, right?" I quizzed my partner.

"No. How do you know that?" he asked me, looking surprised.

"The things I know would astound you. I'll tell you sometime, just remind me. Hey, I'm going to change over to get there faster. If you need me, patronus, and I can be right back." He nodded and I got up. I reached into my cloak and pulled out several gold coins. It would more than cover our bill, and would leave Rosemerta with a fine tip.

"You know, you don't have to pay for mine!" King yelled at me as I headed for the door.

"I know. You can treat me next week," I said over my shoulder as I exited the door. I went around to the side of the building and quickly was in my falcon form. It was a beautiful June night, and the warm breeze felt nice as I flew. Maybe Sirius and I should take our brooms out and go flying sometime. There are few people out near the farm, we could be safe doing it there. I could feel the wards bristle around me as I passed through them and headed straight for the Headmasters office. I flew around his tower, but did not see him in there. Instead, I flew to an open window on the third floor, and quickly slipped in and changed myself back to my human form and then disillusioned myself. I walked briskly to Minerva's office. Once I reached the door, I made sure that there was no one in the hallway, and made myself corporeal again and knocked on the door. When the wooden gateway creaked open, I found my old teacher and confidant in her tartan dressing gown.

"Anwen, what are you doing here? Is there a problem?" she asked me, stepping aside and indicating that I should come in.

"No, not that I'm aware of. I'm on guard duty tonight in Hogsmeade, and Albus had asked me to stop by to pick something up from him. I flew over to his office, but he wasn't there," I told her.

"No. He's gone in to the Ministry tonight. You're the second person who was quite adamant in finding him. Harry Potter was here a while ago with his friends, saying that he needed to see the Headmaster immediately." He words made my breath catch, and I was instantly concerned.

"Minerva, this is very important. Did they say what they wanted? What this might have been concerning?" Please let it be about something mundane like a school problem or even Draco Malfoy.

"They said that it was something that Albus alone would understand. They were very upset to find that he wasn't in the castle." Damn. I weighed my options in my head and then decided that I needed to act.

"Minerva, what do you know about what's being stored in the castle for Nicolas Flamel?" I asked her.

"Um, a bit. I'm surprised that you know however," she said, her face confirming her surprise. I nodded at her.

"I know quite a bit about a great many things. I'm afraid that Harry may know a few too many things for his own good," I said; her face went white.

"Do you think he went to find it?" she asked. I nodded at her.

"Can you go up to Gryffindor Tower and see if he's there? In the meantime, I'm going to go and get Dumbledore from the Ministry. Whatever he had to go there for is nowhere near as important as this is. Can I use your fireplace?" I asked. She nodded and headed for the door. The first thing I did was fire my patronus off to Kingsley, letting him know that I needed to stay in the castle, and that he was needed on the grounds. I also asked him to call in backup to cover the entrances and the town. This could all be nothing...then again...

I stepped into the fireplace and flooed to the Ministry. I immediately made my way to the Minister's office. There was no one in the outer office, so I knocked on the door and let myself in. Albus and Cornelius were both surprised to see me, although Albus' face registered concern, while Fudge's showed merely frustration.

"Auror Hodgson-Black, what are you doing here?" Fudge asked, sounding irritated.

"I was on duty in Hogsmeade, when there was a disturbance up at the school. It would seem that there were some students up and about in places they shouldn't have been. It's not really an Auror issue, so I figured that the Headmaster should be the one to take care of it. Minerva sent me," I said, hoping that Albus would get my meaning.

"Well, yes that would be an issue for me to deal with. Cornelius, we will need to leave this for another time. Will you accompany me back to the castle please?" Albus said, looking at me. We were already to the door before Fudge even had the presence of mind to say goodbye.

"Fawkes," Albus said no louder than a whisper, and instantly the great bird was before us in a shower of flames. "Hold on Anwen." I grabbed the birds tail and soon we were gone from the hallway of the Ministry and in Albus' office. "Come on, let's find Minerva."

We met the head of Gryffindor house in the corridor outside of the Headmaster's office. "None of them were there, however, Neville Longbottom had been Petrified. Hermione Granger had done it to him," she said, sounding shocked. "Once he was calm I sent him off to bed," Minerva told us. Albus looked at me.

"I am going to go after them, Minerva, please gather the teachers together and help secure the school. Anwen, can you contact James and Lily, and then watch the exits?" I nodded at him. I really didn't want to think about what could be happening.

"Albus, what do you think is going on here?" Minerva asked him.

"I don't have time to explain, just please, we need to make sure that no one can get in our out of the castle, except through the floo in my office. Let James know that's how he should come over." I nodded at him again.

"King was going to send for backup and then secure the grounds. If he sees anything, he can let me know." Albus nodded at me, and we all took off. I returned to the Headmaster's office and fire called over to the Manor.

"James, Lily. Please, if one of you is there, come to the fireplace immediately." I was shocked when it was my husband's face that greeted me.

"Winnie, love, what's wrong?" he asked me.

"James and Lily need to get over here immediately. Harry's gone after the Stone with his friends. Something must have spooked him, he went to find Albus tonight, but he had gone to the Ministry to meet with Fudge, and Harry took matters into his own hands," I told him.

"Alright. James and I were practice dueling, we'll be there in a few moments. I'll tell Remus as well," Sirius replied.

"Come through Albus' fireplace, the rest of the castle has been secured," I told him.

"Anwen, be safe," he said to me, and I could see the concern in his eyes.

"You too. I'm going to go and sweep the perimeter and check in with Kingsley. I love you," I said before I ducked my head out of the fireplace. Fawkes was back on his perch. "Can you tell Albus that I went to check the outside of the castle and meet with King? I'll report back as soon as I can." The mystical bird cooed at me and I stroked his feathers in thanks. I opened the window, quickly changed over and flew out.

It was a clear night, and I could see into the village without any problems. There were at least two other Aurors patrolling the streets now, and as I flew along the walls of the castle, I could count another pair. King was making a circle much closer in. I flew down and landed in front of him.

"Anwen, in all the years that we have known each other, I have to tell you that still bothers me to no end," he said, his deep baritone voice higher than usual from the fright that I had given him.

"Sorry. Lot on my mind. Keep an eye out for anything odd, especially anything like what we were investigating while we were in Albania," I told him. His eyes went wide.

"Really? You sure?"

"No. Just a hunch, or maybe a fear. There is something very wrong. I'm making another pass. I'll try not to scare you the next time." I smiled at him and changed over and took off. I soared over the building several more times, not noticing anything out of the ordinary, until my last pass. It was then that I saw one of the small access doors near the back of the castle, under where the kitchens were, fly open. A ghostly white figure flew from the door and headed toward the forest. It was no larger than Evan, and it moved in an unnatural way, something between flying and slithering like a snake. It was exuding magic so dark that it was nearly indistinguishable from the night sky; in fact, I was sure that if I was looking at it through my human eyes, rather than my bird ones, I may have missed it. I hadnever seen a magical signature so completely consumed by dark magic. There was no color, no glittering light, nothing.

I tried to fly close to it, but it was covered by a strong protection spell. I did my best to break the shield as I was flying, but I couldn't. My spell work was never that strong when I was in my bird form. I quickly landed and switched over, but by the time I did, there was nothing left for me to see. I patronused King and told him where to meet me, and then went to examine the door. It was only about a three feet high, about the size a house elf would be able to pass through, and I realized that even if the castle was secured, no one would have paid any mind to these doors. Most witches and wizards were to egocentric to think about beings other than themselves. There was a slimy residue on the floor near the door, and I quickly conjured a small container, made from Muggle plastic and secured a sample. I then screwed on the lid and sealed it magically, then burned my name into the side of the container and the lid. _ One of the things I learned from reading that Muggle book on crime scene analysis that James had given me._ This way, as long as my name wasn't tampered with, I could prove the viability of the evidence. I repeated the process for a second sample from the door. I put both jars inside of my robes. Just then King came running up.

"What did you see?" he asked me.

"Something frighteningly similar to those drawings we brought back from Albania four years ago. I also collected this...residue. Come on, if it came out through this door, maybe we can trace where it came from," I told him, and I crouched to walk though the door. I turned around and realized that my partner wouldn't make it through, he was too tall.

"Go on ahead, I'll wait for you in Dumbledore's office." I laughed at him and turned and went into the castle fully. A small, slimy trail did indeed lead me to the kitchens, and several of the house elves recognized me from my Hogwarts days and my frequent trips to the kitchen with Sirius. They were more than willing to talk with me about what they had seen, and a few even consented to having their memories copied and stored. _ This is why you should always be nice to other people...beings...you never know when you might need their help._ My Grandmother's words echoed in my head, adapted for the life that I was leading. They directed me towards the place where the thing had entered the kitchen.

I followed along a narrow hallway to a large candlelit room. I pushed the door open, and found two figures in the space. The taller one spun on it's heel and before I knew what was happening, I had a wand pointed in my face.

"Oh, Anwen, it's you," Albus Dumbledore said, lowering his wand. "How did you get in here?"

"Um, through an elf door in the back of the castle. Sir, someone or something maybe more accurate, escaped from the castle and into the forest that way," I told him. He looked concerned.

"I was afraid of that. He didn't get the Stone. Harry had it. I just took him up to the hospital wing, he's with his parents now. Sirius and Remus are with them. I needed to come back down here and see if I could figure out what happened." Albus seemed distracted.

"Sir, why don't you let me do the investigation down here. It is what I'm trained to do. You seem distracted, like there is something else that you need to be doing," I told him; his head snapped up towards me, and then he smiled.

"Of course. You are indeed observant and correct. I need to return the stone to Nicolas, and speak with him and Perenelle about what they are going to do." _He knows that the Stone needs to be destroyed. That shell was most likely Voldemort, and Albus knew it as well as I did. He couldn't be allowed to get the Sorcerer's Stone, but it's destruction would have devastating effects on the Flame's._

"Go, I'll do this. Give my best to Perenelle and tell her I'll be in touch when I can." I said and he gently nodded.

"Fawkes," he said, again no louder than a whisper. The bird flashed in, and then he and Albus flashed wordlessly out. I took a deep steadying breath, and started looking around the room. _What you learn here may well dictate what happens next. Take your time and be sure Anwen. _ I steadied myself, and began reviewing the room.

**Sirius POV:**

Albus had summoned us from his office and taken us to Harry's bedside quite a while ago. Lily and Remus were sitting vigil right now. James was conferring with Madame Pomfrey and Kingsley, and I was pacing. Anwen still hasn't shown. _It's been over an hour since King got here and told us that she had gone into the back of the castle, and that she would be joining us when she was done; and yet she wasn't here. What if she ran into something else in the bowels of this old building? What if there were secrets that we didn't know, and she had somehow gotten trapped in one of them? Would she have been able to get hold of me? I told myself to stop, if I opened myself up to her, I could feel her heart beating strong; and her emotions were steady and focused. _ She was in what I had nicknamed, 'work mode.' I raked my fingers through my hair and started to walk along the same small route I had been tracing in the floor. Then I heard a faint footstep and I looked down the hall to see her tiny frame walking toward me.

She said nothing, just pulled herself into my embrace and held onto me tightly. Fear pulsed off of her as she clung to me, but as she began to release her grip, it faded and I could feel her resolve build again.

"What did you find?" I asked her, brushing the strands of hair that had fallen across her eyes from her face.

"Quite a bit. How's Harry?" she asked, concern sweeping over her face.

"Asleep or unconscious. We aren't sure which one right now. Madame Pomfrey thinks he'll be fine, he just needs to rest. His magic has been drained quite low," I told her. She nodded at me, and then released herself from my embrace.

"Where's King? I need his opinion, as well as yours and James'. I also need to go and use Albus' pensive as well as the Potions lab. Damn, that will mean dealing with Severus." She was rattling things off rather quickly and looking around the space that we were in.

"James and King were over talking with Madame Pomfrey," I told her.

"Go and get them, and let Remus know that we are leaving for a minute. Don't let Lily know, I don't want to alarm her just yet. I need to do some analysis and I would prefer that she doesn't see it just yet. Poppy doesn't need a second patient tonight," she said. Her calm and resolve when she was working were so different than her usual bright self, that I knew whatever she thought she had found out had upset her deeply. She waited in the shadows of the doorway, and a moment later, I returned with the others in tow. We crossed the hall to an empty classroom.

"First things first, how is Lily holding up?" she asked James.

"Alright. We took Evan over to Molly and Arthur. She and Ginny were happy to watch him. I just hope we aren't here too long." She nodded.

"We'll all help make sure he's cared for," I added, knowing that we could take care of the little guy so that Lily could concentrate on Harry. Anwen smiled at me. She then became professional again.

"King, I need you to look at this sample. Tell me what imprint you're reading," she said, handing her partner a small glass tray filled with a rock like substance. King waved his wand over it, and watched it glow several colors, and then go dark again.

"That's human tissue? What the hell happened to it?" he said, handing it back to Anwen.

"I have an idea. James, Sirius, why don't you take a look at it. I think this falls into your area of expertise," she said, and we both drew our wands, and moved them over the gravel, for lack of a better word.

"It's cursed flesh alright, but I've never seen anyone cursed so badly that they turned to stone. Burned and shriveled, yes, but dried and dead, no," James said.

"What kind of magic would have done this?" I asked her, and for the first time all night, her eyes betrayed her calm exterior. She pinched the flesh above her nose, and then took the sample back and sealed it and stowed it in her robes. I waited for her to answer, but she simply removed another small jar from her robes, and unscrewed the lid.

"If you think that was baffling, wait until you see this." She moved her hand over the substance in the jar and then closed her eyes. The magic of the stuff became visible, and we all gasped. Anwen had made enough magic visible to all of us over the years, that we realized we were looking at a magical signature, except that it was completely dark magic. Strange audible noises were coming from each of us, but by no means were they language. Anwen was again rubbing her thumb over the bridge of her nose.

"Anwen, do you think..." James started. Anwen's head turned quickly and she looked him in the eye.

"I don't know the answer yet. I need to look at some memories, and conduct some empirical tests before I am willing to draw any conclusions," she said calmly.

"But love, can you guess?" I asked her. She turned and looked at me with a hard blazing look.

"I don't guess, not in times like these. But, if what I am afraid of is correct..." she drew in a staggered breath, and stopped speaking. Her silence spoke volumes. "I need to look at some memories. King, why don't you come with me. Guys, go back with Harry. Until Albus is back in the castle, I don't want him left without a strong guard."

"You don't actually think that...thing...would come back?" King asked her.

"No, it's probably as far away as it can get. Albus took the stone, and Hagrid has secured the herd of Unicorns from the forest, so there would be no reason to stick around; but I would rather be safe than sorry." We all nodded at her. I wrapped my arm around her and for a moment, she allowed herself to lean into my embrace, but then, her resolve took over and she stood on her own two feet. "Come on, we have work to do. If you see Albus before I do, or if Minerva comes in, please tell them where I am. I can use both of their assistance tonight." We nodded at her, and then parted ways in the hallway. James and I headed back into the infirmary, while she and King took off for the Headmaster's study. "Wait, Sirius come here."

I walked back over to my wife, and she reached into her pocket and took out a little Honeydukes bag and handed it to me. "Here. I got these for you before things got crazy tonight." She smiled gently at me. I opened the sack, but I already thought I knew what was inside. I took one of the candies out, smiled at her and popped it into my mouth. I leaned over and kissed her head and gave her a wave of my deep love. "Thank you too," she whispered back, and then turned and went to her partner and left the hallway.

It took three days for Harry to wake up. James and Lily never left his side. Remus and I would filter in and out, and Anwen was stationed at the school as security. She would leave for short bursts, when several of us were here and awake, so that she could go to the Ministry and do research or check on tests she was having run on her evidence. Finally, on the Monday after the attack, Albus convinced everyone Harry would be fine for the last few days of the term, and that he should have his time with his friends. Anwen would be back for her regular Thursday night rounds in Hogsmeade, and James and Lily were given permission to contact Albus or Minerva at any time, so that they could check on Harry's health; but otherwise, things needed to return to normal in the castle.

Early on Tuesday morning, we were again in the Potter Library. Anwen was thankful to have been able to finally sleep in her own bed the night before, and I was glad to have my wife snuggled beside me as well. She seemed more relaxed than she had been during the last week, but my gut told me better. James had called the family meeting, and none of us even questioned why. We were sitting at the conference table in the library, books were spread out, all over, and she and Remus had already begun taking copious notes on topics and lessons that they wanted to work with Harry on for the summer. James and Lily sat down. There was no happy chatter and no tea for this meeting.

"Alright Anwen, let us know what you know." James said, clearly meaning business..

"Okay, the 'tissue' that you guys analyzed, the stone–like stuff, was indeed at one point human, but it had become so saturated with dark magic, that, as best the lab guys can guess, when it came in contact with light magic, it just, disintegrated. Now, here is the thing that I am finding disturbing, the light magical signature on it, is Harry's." Lily gasped.

"Are you sure?" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes. But, I don't think that he cast any spell, or even meant to do it. I reviewed his memories, and all he did was touch Quirrell. I guess if I had Voldemort living on my head, I'd be saturated with dark magic too," Anwen told us, I almost laughed at the casual way she mentioned the symbiotic relationship that they had. "Lily, he did nothing wrong, or even punishable. Harry is just that good, that's al,." she said, trying to reassure her best friend.

"And we are sure that it was Quirrell?" Remus asked her.

"I did a comparison of the..stuff...with the magic his wand was able to regurgitate. The signatures were identical. Quirrell was either possessed against his will, or willingly in an odd host/parasite relationship with the remnants of Voldemort." She shook her head at the idea.

"And we are sure it was the Stone that Voldemort was after?" I asked her. She nodded at me.

"The unicorn blood will only last so long, the elixir the Stone produces is much more reliable and long lasting. Nicolas and Perenelle are evidence of that. They have decided to destroy the Stone. He and Albus were going to take care of it tonight. They have stock piled close to a year's worth of elixir, and then, they will finally let nature take its course," she said sadly. She and Perenelle had grown close over the last few years, and I knew that my wife would miss the company of the only other projecting visualist alive in our country. I reached over and took her hand. She nodded at me. "She has given me quite a few books, and we hope to have a few more lessons before she becomes too ill to train me anymore. I need to make my distance shielding skills stronger, especially now that we know that Voldemort is trying to get his body back."

"Outside of the Stone and unicorn blood, is there any other way?" Remus asked her.

"There was nothing that the Potions department at the Ministry or Ewan knew about, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any dark spells out there. Mad–Eye was going to get in touch with some of his 'seedier' contacts, mostly in eastern Europe to see what they might know about Restoration Spells. We will just have to wait and see." We all nodded as Anwen told us these things.

James began speaking. "Anwen, anything else that you'd like to add?" She shook her head no. "Well then, I need to tell you all something. Harry asked Dumbledore why Voldemort had come after him." There was a sound of the air leaving the room when James told us.

"What did he say?" I demanded. Anwen gently rubbed my hand, trying to calm me down.

"Thankfully, he told Harry that he should talk with me. Albus had already warned me that the question would be coming. I told Harry that we would talk about it when school was over," he said calmly. Fresh tears were falling down Lily's face and Anwen got up and walked around the table to crouch down beside her best friend and hug her from behind. "Harry comes home on June 20th. We are going to have all of you over on the 21st to tell him. Molly has agreed to take Evan for the weekend, so that we can devote our full attention to Harry. Molly and Arthur don't know everything, and I don't really want them to, they just know that we need to talk with Harry about what happened at school this year, and that it would be better to not have Evan in the house while we were doing it." We all nodded in our understanding.

"What do you need us to do?" Remus asked.

"We need to continue to work with him this summer. We still want him to have fun, we have every intention of taking a family trip somewhere. Go someplace fun and relaxing; but Harry needs to begin training. We need to think about things that he won't learn at school, areas that we need to supplement, skills we need to teach him."

"He'll have no combat practice, and little dueling at school. He needs to learn those things, as well as weapons training and hand to hand," Anwen said solemnly. "I still think we should have him work on his languages, as well as his arts understanding. He may need to be reminded of the good things that people can do as well." I smiled at my wife's insight.

"He needs to learn silent spell casting, as well as master his Elemental magic. The school teaches so little of it, and it can really be important, especially if something happens to your wand. He also needs to learn how to think and be strategical. Honestly, the best way I can think of doing that, would be to play more chess with him," Remus added. We all smiled at the idea of telling Harry that he had to play more chess.

"We need to speed up his Charms and Defense lessons as well. Start teaching him how to creatively use spells he already knows in different ways," James put forward.

"I want to teach him Healing and Medical potions work. If he does get hurt, or someone around him, he needs to be able to at least do field medicine," Lily added.

"Well, I think he needs to learn to really fly. Teach him tricks and the more risky elements of flying. I think that will mean doing an overhaul on his broom. And, he still needs to have fun. He can't carry the weight of the world yet, no matter how much it might feel like he does already, we need to let him be silly, and stupid and be a boy," I added and everyone laughed. Anwen got up and came over to me, and settled herself down in my lap.

"Okay, it sounds like we all know what we need to be doing. Let's meet in a week to see where we think we each need to start, and what we can do to help each other," James said. We all started to get up, but Lily cleared her throat and made us stop.

"All of you...this is really happening, isn't it? It's starting again and he is coming after my little boy...and...all of you, thank you. You don't have to do this..." she said before she completely fell apart. James went and lifted his wife into a hug, and the rest of us silently left them alone, flooing back to our respective homes without saying anything else.

I flooed first and stepped aside, waiting for Anwen. As we were leaving, I felt the dam of emotions breaking apart with in her. She had been holding everything together all week, and part of me had been waiting for this to happen. As the flames burst forth, I saw my sweet wife come tumbling out. Everything that she was feeling came bursting out with her, and even thought I was prepared for it, her emotions were overwhelming. I caught her from the fireplace and cradled her in my arms and lifted her up.

The sobs were racking her body and she was shaking uncontrollably. She was wailing in a way that I hadn't heard in years, and the pain that was rolling off her was painful as it crashed into me. I carried her up to the second floor, but I just couldn't go any farther. Her pain was draining me of all of the strength that I had. I carried her into the Drawing Room and settled down on the loveseat with her, wrapping her and me up in a quilt, even though it was a fairly warm late spring day.

I rocked her back and forth, and whispered words of calming into her ear, but in my heart I knew that we were just going to have to ride this one out. Stopping it now would only make it harder on her in the future. She never even wept this way when we lost the baby last year. _ Merlin, the pain in her, it's like she's been ripped apart inside. Oh, my sweet little one, please calm down, I don't know what to do for you._

Finally, her tears seemed to have dried, her breathing was still ragged and she was shaking, but the worst seemed to be over. I didn't want to say anything, I knew that when Anwen was ready, the words would come to her. I just continued to hold her, reassuring her that I was there and that I loved her more than she could possibly know. She finally lifted her head and looked at me, her eyes red and swollen, her face blotchy from all of her crying.

"Sirius, I don't know if I am strong enough to do this again...I don't know if I can do another war, and wonder if when you leave the house, if you will come home to me or not. I thought that when we got through the last one, and your exile, that when I got you home, that it would be over. We would get to have a house and children and happiness and the biggest problem that we would face would be wondering where we wanted to take our holiday each year. I don't want this," she sobbed and pulled herself to my chest again.

"I want to go back on The Potion, I don't want to get pregnant and become a mother if we have to worry that the poor child will grow up without one or both of its parents. I couldn't bear it. My love, my darling love, I can't even begin to think about what would happen if I lost you. My heart would stop. I couldn't go on living," She had started crying again, and she was clinging onto me. I didn't remember seeing Anwen this frightened, not when she was fully awake and lucid.

"Love, you have to calm down. Everything is going to be alright. There isn't a war starting, this was just an unfortunate incident, but he didn't get the Stone, and we're in the same place we were before this happened. Shh, you need to calm down. Please, for me, calm down. I'm right here." I stroked her hair and her back and rocked her back and forth. _She brings up __a valid point though, what would I do if I lost her? Her spirit and soul resided in me, and without her, I would be empty. A shell of a man. Would I even want to live without her?_

We sat there until shadows began to fall across the walls in the room. I think that she may have finally fallen asleep in my arms, simply out of exhaustion. I didn't care, if my holding her there made her feel safe, then this is where we needed to be. Her fingers came up, and twined themselves in mine, and I knew that she was awake.

"Are you okay now?" I whispered to her.

"I'm calmer; but okay, I'm not sure of," she replied honestly. "Sirius, are we strong enough to do this again?" she wondered aloud. I had learned enough to know that trying to answer these kinds of questions would only get me into trouble. I just sat there, holding my wife. "Sirius, I think that we should stop trying to have a baby. If he is coming back, and he's after Harry, then we are going to be on the short list of people to get rid of. It's not fair to that little baby if we bring it into this world, and then get taken away." My heart broke at the words. _There was nothing in this world that I wanted more than to have a child with Anwen. I had never told her, but each month that she wasn't pregnant, my spirits fell a little, and I needed to get away just to mask my feelings of disappointment and loss. I still hoped each month that we would find that she was pregnant and that we could start preparing for our own little one. I couldn't let her give up, not just yet._

"I know that you're scared, but I don't think now is the time to be making decisions like this. Your emotions are running too high," I said quietly. I stopped speaking to gauge her reaction. She let a deep breath escape her, and then she pulled away to look at me.

"You really think we will be alive to raise a child?"

"What better way to prove that we have hope, than to bring a child into this world, knowing what we know. Give it six months, please, for me. No potions, no Healers, no worries. We just keep trying to get pregnant, please...please do this for me," I begged her. I could see her heart break, and I almost felt like taking the words back at the pain that I had caused her.

Then, she nodded. It was a small movement, almost imperceptible, but I could see it and more importantly, I could feel the change in her. Where a moment ago there was only despair, now, she had the faintest glimmer of hope.

"Thank you," I whispered, as my lips met hers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello my lovely readers, I wasn't going to update until tomorrow, but my amazing beta, Peter, has been able to get work done faster than anticipated, so here you go, an update already. Summer after Harry's first year, and there are two rather large developments in this chapter as to future things that will happen in this story, but you've got to find them on your own, I'm not going to tell you what they are. If you figure both of them out, I've got a little surprise that I can email you that's an outtake of sorts from this chapter; but you've got to find both of the story threads that begin to develop in this chapter. One hint, one is canon, one is not. There you go, have fun my happy readers. A shout out to Peter, because he rocks, and the song for this chapter is "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. Again, deepest thanks for reading and most excellent thanks for reviewing -- they make my day. Peace, Mutt**

**Chapter 7:**

**Furry Things and Flying Cars**

**Anwen POV:**

We were all in the back yard at the Manor, celebrating Harry's twelfth birthday. The kids, the exceedingly voluminous number of children running around the yard, were here to celebrate with Harry. James and Lily had decided to throw a large party for their eldest son, considering everything that had transpired over the few weeks that he had been home for the summer. I watched as my husband ran around, playing tag with his godson and several of the other boys from Gryffindor that were here. I looked over at James and rolled my eyes.

"Anwen, I am not the man to give you pity right now," he said back to me. He was sitting in a chaise, several pillows stacked behind. His movements were stiff and he was obviously uncomfortable.

"I told you that you really didn't want me to duel you full force, but you didn't listen to me," I reminded him, he went to say something, but I held my hand up. "No...we should have done it the way that I wanted to, but you wanted to teach Harry a lesson. The fact that you pulled three muscles in your back and they told you the only thing you could do about it was rest when you went to see the Healers isn't my fault. Hell, King won't even let me go at him full strength. He's scared of me, and he dwarfs you Prongs_." James had wanted to show Harry that size didn't matter when it came to magical power, so he let Harry decide who he would like to see duel each other. As James had predicted, he picked me to go up against his father, I being the smallest and James being the largest. Harry couldn't believe it, when I had disarmed not only his father, but the other five of them in under two minutes, and silently had them all pinned up against the wall with a well placed Cushioning Charm. We started the duel over, and this time, James told me to go at him with everything that I had. I told him I thought it was a bad idea, but he insisted. So when he started flying backwards from a Repelling Spell, he wasn't prepared, and hurt his back._

"I know why now. Damn it Winnie, how do you not kill Sirius when you get angry at him?" He asked me.

"Can't curse him, remember? The whole bound magic thing. I have to get back at him in other ways, like after his hi-jinx today, I think that his flea bath will go missing for a few days. I'll charm myself and the house with that same Repelling Spell, but he can scratch away. Really, he is a grown man, isn't he?" I shook my head at the large black mutt that was playing fetch with five boys.

My eyes were drawn to Harry. He had taken the news of the Prophecy very well, somewhat too well for some of the adults; but I honestly think that it was his age that made him this way. We had all seen too much, lived through too much. We were wary, Harry still had the wide eyed optimism of childhood on his side. He told us that he wanted to get ready, and he wanted to understand what this power that he was supposed to have was. James said that we weren't sure, but we suspected that it was something that he was born with, it just hadn't revealed itself yet. Albus had told him that he believed it may be the power of love that Harry carried within him, the thing that would be his greatest asset. Sirius was openly ridiculing the idea, but after what I had seen love do to the potion that saved Lily, James and Harry 11 years ago, I knew I would never doubt it's power. I also knew the power of what had happened to Sirius and me through our marriage, it just seemed too simple to my husband; something as seemingly simple as love.

Those few days between when Harry had recovered, and when he came home, were busy ones for us all. James had also chosen to confront Severus Snape about why he was snooping around the wards to the Manor. Severus reminded him of the life debt that he owed James from the stupid Whomping Willow event. He knew that Lily would have been heartbroken if anything had happened to Harry or Evan, and he just wanted to make sure that they were indeed safe from Quirrell when they were at home. James, moreover Lily, seemed genuinely touched by his concern. Remus remained concerned about Snape's true motivation, Sirius would openly mock him. _Perhaps someday my husband will appreciate that people can change and that life isn't as simple as it was when we were in school._

We—James, Lily, Remus, Sirius and I – came up with areas of study for the summer, hoping that Harry would indeed understand why we felt that it was important for him to learn these things, once the prophecy became known. Harry was happy to learn the healing and medical potions and elemental magic lessons we came up with. He was less than thrilled when he learned that he would be put on a regiment of physical training similar to what we had all been doing for years_. He really hates running._ The grumbling at the continuation of his language and culture studies was something quite remarkable as well. These were made better by letting him know that not only Ginny, but Hermione would join us for the language lessons and they would be accompanying us into Muggle London for our "educational trips." But, his greatest glee came when he learned that his broom would be getting an overhaul, and he would be taught some flying tricks. We also started working with him on using spells more creatively, hence my disabling them all with a Cushioning Charm.

My thoughts were brought back to the party when Sirius came and picked me up, sat down in my chair, and then plopped me back down on his lap. I looked around, there were at least two other empty chairs near by.

"You know, you are allowed to have your own seat. There isn't a shortage here, and even if there was, I could just conjure some more," I teased him.

"This is much more comfortable," he replied, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the side of my face. He was breathing rather heavily and his warm breath was cascading down my neck and back and he was covered in a light sheen of sweat. It was unpleasant, considering the heat of the day.

"You're panting," I said to him. "Would you like a water bowl, love?" I added dryly. With that, he licked the side of my face, much like he would when he was in his dog form. It felt slimy and gross. I made what I am sure was a rather funny face, as I scrunched it all up in disgust. "Yuck," I said, as I conjured not only a flannel to wipe myself off with, but a large glass of water for him. He drank it down as I cleaned myself off. James and Remus howled at his antics. _Thanks for encouraging him guys._

"You really should know better than to pick on me, darling," he said loud enough for the others to hear, and then pressed his mouth close to my ear and spoke in a tone that only I could hear. "Anyway, you taste delicious my sweet." His proximity, the words, the emotions he was suddenly radiating and the gentle caress of his breath gave me chills. I leaned myself back into him and allowed myself to be enveloped in his love.

It was getting on towards night, and Harry had opened his gifts and we had all finished dinner. His father had lit the patio area with great torches and fairy lights, and Lily and I were in the kitchen getting the cake and ice cream ready. I was looking out the window over the sink when something caught my eye.

"Lil, come here," I called her, and she came over to stand next to me. "What do you see over there, almost to the pond?" I asked her. She looked over, and her face became bright with a huge smile, her eyes wide.

"Is that who I think it is?" she asked me. I started nodding, my smile getting wider.

"I think it is." We stood in the window, watching the two figures sitting alone, looking off in the direction of the sunset, talking to each other in an animated, but yet engaging way.

"Have you ever seen him like that before?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"No. He hasn't even ever really expressed any interest in anyone, like, ever. I had honestly begun to wonder if he was gay," she told me. I looked at her shocked. "Look, if it wasn't for his other problem, wouldn't you have considered it?"

"I guess, but, we both know, it's that furry little problem that makes him keep people at arm's length." She nodded at me.

"So, what do you think? Isn't she a little young?" Lily turned her head to me.

"She's 19 Lil, and she'll be a good Auror when she's done with school. She's got that reckless Black streak that I love so in her too. No, I don't think so. I think the bigger question will be whether he will a) let her know the truth about him and then b) really let her in once she does know." Lily nodded at me. "I know that she's interested, she asked me about him back at Easter, it was the strangest conversation. For a moment, I thought that she had a crush on James." Lil looked shocked and concerned. "My misunderstanding, never mind." We stood there transfixed watching the two of them for a moment, and I think we were both surprised when she laid a hand on his shoulder, and he didn't shy away from it. Remus usually shrank from the touch of people who didn't know about his problem.

"Okay, we need to keep an eye on this, and give it a little assistance should the need arise," I said, and Lily nodded.

"It would be pleasant to make our duo a trio," she added, linking her arm through mine and I smiled at her. We turned and gathered up the cake, ice cream, plates and silverware and levitated them out to the patio. I went to stand near Sirius as the cake was lit and everyone gathered to sing to Harry. My husband stood behind me, wrapping his long arms around me and pulling me close.

"You are just bursting with happiness now. What happened in that kitchen that has you so thrilled?" he asked. I was glad that he was behind me, and I didn't have to look him in the face as I told him something less than the whole truth.

"Nothing in particular. I'm just happy, that's all. Absolutely, perfectly happy," I told him. I felt his hand slip under my blouse, and caress along the waistband of my shorts, coming to rest in the mid section of my abdomen, his hand gently caressing me there.

"So am I dear, so am I," he said kissing my head.

As we had discussed, Sirius and I took Ginny away for a long weekend to Italy to celebrate her birthday. We had rented a small, three bedroom villa in Venice, and we used it as a base of operations, apparating to locations all over Italy to sightsee and shop for four days in mid-August. It was supposed to be a trip for 4, with Harry coming along as well; however, Harry had decided that he needed to show off at his birthday party and had attempted to levitate Blackie along the back edge of the property. This is the only place that the Potter land came in contact with the Muggle village, and it was subsequently more closely monitored for magic than the area near the Manor. The shielding was also the thinnest out here, because James didn't want to be burning or dissolving parts of Muggles that came too close to the ward lines. A second ward was set up farther in, on the way to the house, that would keep unregistered magical people from getting any closer. The Ministry registered his underage use of magic, and a letter of warning was sent to James and Lily; they were furious with Harry. He had subsequently lost his privilege of coming on the trip, and it was simply Sirius, Ginny and I.

On our last morning there, we were sitting in the little sidewalk cafe that had become our favorite breakfast place, trying to decide what we wanted to go and do for the day. Ginny could consume a rather amazing amount of food for someone so little, and her breakfast rivaled the one that Sirius was eating. I had simply chosen to drink a cup of cappuccino and a small hunk of fresh bread.

"Well, I need to go over to the Italian Ministry before we leave today, and thank them for all of their help. I picked up a fair amount of potion making supplies, and they have let me take it all home, without much of the red tape that would usually be involved," I said.

"That's because the clerk at the customs office had quite a crush on you darling," Sirius said, his eyes covered by new, dark sunglasses that he had purchased the day before. He was dressed in some rather fine jeans and a stunning gray button down shirt we had bought while out shopping, and his new favorite pair of boots – dark gray, Ukrainian Iron-belly dragon hide ones. I looked at him, his hair was down and glistening in the sunlight, and I was amazed at how beautiful he looked. _There isn't a fashion model that rivals the beauty that is my husband right now._

"He did not," I said back, but Sirius just smirked at me, nodding his head.

"Yes he did, Aunt Winnie. He was making eyes at you, like Bill made at that dumb girl he brought home for dinner when he was visiting last time. She tried to cut his food for him, and feed him. It was gross," Ginny piped up between shoveling bites of her fritata into her mouth. I couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's ability to see people for what they really were.

"All right, so he was sweet on me. I didn't lead him on, and anyway, the way that you were manhandling me Sirius, no one would have ever attempted to cross you. Clearly, you had marked your territory," I smiled at him, and he grinned back, knowingly.

"Well, I think that we have bought enough stuff. I spent nearly every penny that I earned working for you, Aunt Winnie, so I think that I should be done shopping. I would like to see some more art though. How about another museum?" our young guest suggested. I thought it was a good idea, but Sirius groaned.

"No, we've been to three museums already. How about taking in an Italian Quidditch match? There is a match today in Florence between the local team and the one from Turin. Anyone up for some high flying fun?" Sirius suggested. Ginny's eyes grew wide, and she started jumping up and down in her chair.

"No way. A real professional match? My brothers will be so jealous, they've never been to a match outside of Britain. Uncle Sirius, you are the most awesome!" she said, getting up and giving him a hug. He was so surprised, that he nearly fell off his chair. "It is okay with you, right Aunt Winnie?" she turned and looked at me.

"Anything that makes you that happy, yes it's fine Ginny. This is your birthday trip, remember? I just hope that we can get seats," I said, realizing that she would be disappointed if we had brought it up, and then couldn't make it happen.

"Not gonna be a problem," Sirius said, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out three tickets. He handed them to Ginny, she started jumping up and down when she read them.

"They're in a box. We have a box to watch the game in?" she squealed. I looked at him surprised.

"Love, if you can flirt to get potions materials home, I can flirt to get Quidditch seats." I did remember him talking with a sweet, albeit young girl in the Minister's office while we were there_. It's curious, years ago, that would have driven me crazy; now, I couldn't care less. I know that Sirius would never, ever act on it. His love coursing through me was all the reassurance that I needed. _

"That poor girl. Did she even realize that you're happily married?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it sounds like we have a plan for the day. Come on, let's go back, finish up our packing and then send all the bags back to Grimmauld Place. It will be easier than trying to shrink them all for our Portkey ride home." We all stood up, and Sirius threw some lira down on the table, probably overpaying again, since he hadn't bothered to understand the conversion rates as well as he should have.

When we arrived back at the Burrow that night, Ginny was terribly excited to tell her brothers and Harry all about her trip. James, Lily and Evan were there as well. Harry was going to be spending the next week at the Burrow, as a well–earned break from his training. The Weasleys and the Potters would be meeting the Grangers in London on Tuesday to do their back to school shopping. Sirius and Remus were going along, I was teaching, but would be going over to Diagon Alley to meet them for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron.

"You didn't really get to sit in a box and watch a Quidditch match today? You're fibbing right?" Ron said when Ginny told him about our day.

"I most certainly did. The Seeker flew up and smiled at me, and then when the game was over, he gave me this," she said, pulling the Quidditch jersey from her bag and showing it to the boys. He had indeed taken quite a shine to the little girl, and only chose to go away when her "uncle" leered and growled at him. I couldn't help but laugh at him, he had taken his responsibility for her very seriously.

Ginny had bought items for each of her brothers, her parents, and Harry. As she handed things out, I could see the somewhat sour look on Harry's face, I pointed it out to Sirius and he nodded at me. "I'll talk to him when she's done," he said quietly, and I smiled at him. _I knew that Sirius had been pulling the same stunt that he pulled with me the first summer that we lived in London. After she had bought things, Sirius would take back her money bag to hold onto it. When he had it, he would slip a small amount of money back in. She never did figure it out._

When every gift had been given, and Ginny was telling her brothers all about the Quidditch match today, Sirius went over and suggested that he and Harry take a walk. James looked at me, I shook my head and smiled at him. He seemed to understand.

**Sirius POV:**

I closed the back door of the Burrow, and put an arm around my godson's shoulders and started walking.

"I really don't want a pep talk here Uncle Sirius. I'm just...oh bloody hell, Ginny got to go and have fun with you and I had to stay home, and she isn't even your goddaughter! That was supposed to be my trip with you!" he sort of spurted out, and then kicked the ground in front of us.

"You're right, she's not my goddaughter, but she is very important to your Aunt Winnie. You would have been with us, if you hadn't broken the rules. But you did, and your punishment was not being able to go with us," I reminded him.

"But you could have talked to Mum and Dad and made them let me go with you," he whined.

"Perhaps, but they are your parents, and their rules stand," I reminded him.

"Wait, are you telling me to follow the rules? You never followed the rules. You and Dad and Uncle Remus got into all kinds of trouble when you were in school, and now you're telling me that I can't have fun, that I've got to follow what everybody tells me to do?" he yelled at me, shaking my arm off and spinning away. He was getting red in the face, and screaming at me_. He reminds me of Lily when she gets upset. _

"That isn't what I said," I told him calmly, trying to diffuse his anger. "I told you there were consequences of your actions, and it was those consequences that kept you from being with us." I jogged a few steps to catch up with him. "Look kiddo, why don't you tell me what's really bothering you here, because I don't think that it's your Aunt Winnie and I spending time with Ginny that's got you all bothered here." Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground.

"I don't know Uncle Sirius. I guess I'm just angry that I screwed up and I didn't get to go. I had been learning so much fun stuff with you guys, and I wanted to show off, but I knew I couldn't do it at the house...anyway, it's my fault and I know that. I just feel dumb and I know that I screwed up, and it feels like Ginny got to take my place, and I don't want to be mad at her, but I am..." He stopped talking and started walking away from me. I took at deep breath and tried to figure out what to say. I took a few steps and caught up with him. We were headed out toward the shed, and then toward the field beyond.

"Harry, stop and look at me." He did and I caught up to him. I put both of my hands on his shoulders and turned him to look at me. "No one will ever take your place. Not with me, not with your Aunt Winnie. Got that? You're my godson, and the day that your parents asked me to do that for them is one of the proudest of my life, okay? Now, as for screw ups, I was, I am, the king of screw ups. Man, you have no idea how many times I got into trouble because I didn't think about what I was doing or what might happen. Your Aunt Winnie spent much of her first few years at Hogwarts cleaning up my messes." I couldn't help thinking about my sweet wife, and the biggest mistake I ever made. "I almost lost her because I was stupid and selfish one night. Trust me, I know about consequences," I told him, he looked at me with the most puzzled look on his face. I shook myself free of the memory. "All right, do you understand me? It's not Ginny's fault that you couldn't go, so please don't take it out on her, or anyone else." He nodded his head at me, though somewhat unwillingly.

"Let's go back. Your Ma needs to get Evan home, and I am sure that she wants to say goodbye to you. She isn't going to see you for what, a day and a half until we go to do your back to school shopping. She needs to smother you with kisses and embarrass you," I told him.

"Great, that's something to look forward to," he said sarcastically, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. We got back to the house, and everyone had come outside to play some pick up Quidditch. Anwen was sitting with Molly, Lily and Evan. Harry trotted off to get his broom and take off into the air. I went over and sat down on the ground near the chair that she was sitting in. She looked a little sick.

"Not feeling up to flying today love?" I asked her, rubbing the calf of her leg. She smiled down at me.

"No. I think the Portkey back from Italy got me a little motion sick. In fact, I am knackered from our trip. Molly, if you don't mind, Sirius and I are going to head on home," she said gently.

"Of course not dear. I can't thank you enough for taking Ginny with you. It was quite a gift you gave her..." Molly started, but Anwen laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Molly, Ginny earned the right to go with us. She worked very hard, not only on her studies, but also on helping me set up my library. She is a brilliant child, and you should be ever so proud of her. Believe me, it was our pleasure to have her along. Anyway, believe it or not, Sirius has owed me this trip to Italy for what, um, fourteen, fifteen years?" she said, trying to figure out just how long ago it was that we were supposed to go away. "It was about time that we finally went," she teased me, I just smiled at her.

"Well, thank you again. We'll see you on Tuesday, right?" she asked us. I had gotten up off the ground and had given my hand to Anwen to stand.

"I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at 10:00," I told her. She nodded at me.

"I will come over for lunch, say at about, um 12:30. I have to teach Evidence Handling in the morning to the first and second year students. I have the afternoon free however, King is doing the physical training alone this term," she said, smiling at me. I rubbed the small of her back as she said it.

"Goodnight you two," Lily said. "I think I need to be getting this little one home as well. Molly, you're sure that Harry won't be a burden this week?"

"Lily dear, Harry is never a burden. In fact, he keeps Ron out of trouble, the twins can't goad him into things so easy. Go on, get that little boy home before he falls asleep on your lap." Molly told her, and we waved goodbye to everyone and headed into the house to floo.

"I assume that you would rather floo than apparate?" I asked my wife. She nodded at me. The mask that she had been wearing in front of everyone came off, and I could see just how ill she was feeling.

"Apparating just makes me want to hurl even more. Let's get home so I can lie down, please." She asked, and I wrapped my arm around her, took a handful of floo powder and took my wife and me home.

_I have never been so relieved to see my wife walk through a door in my life._ She had brought my cousin with her, which was slightly surprising, but not completely a shock, she was after all in her class. I rose and walked across the crowded bar to greet her. As I got closer, her face broke out into a wide smile.

"Hello beautiful. How was your morning?" I asked her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Uneventful," she replied.

"Uneventful my arse," Dora, _damn,_ Tonks piped up. "Your wife ran out of the room three times while teaching this morning, and she's as white as a sheet. Have you been cooking again Sirius?"

"I ate some bad Sushi while we were out the other day. My system is still funked up, that's all Tonks. Come on, lets go and sit down. How was your morning?" she said, taking my hand and leaning her head down on my upper arm.

"Crazy. Harry, somehow, got lost on his floo trip over here from the Burrow, ended up on Knocturn Alley. Hagrid found him, but not before Lily and Molly went ballistic. Then that buffoon, Lockhart, was in Flourish and Blotts and the poor kid needed to have his picture taken for the Prophet. The whole thing was a mess. Then Lucius and Draco showed up and they got into it with Arthur and James and the kids. I have to tell you though, Ginny has one feisty little temper on her. I wouldn't want to cross her," I told them as we made it to the very large table at the back of the room. The entire Weasley family, the Potter family, the Granger family, and Remus were sitting together. Several animated conversations were going on, and Ron, Harry and Hermione had their heads together, talking quietly. Ginny was sitting next to Evan, playing with him and his toys on the table top. There were two open seats for Anwen and me next to James, who was on the other side of Ginny. We weren't expecting Tonks, so there wasn't a chair. Lily looked up as we approached, and smiled knowingly when she saw the young Auror coming over with us. _I could have sworn that something just passed between Lily and Anwen. What are they up to?_

"Tonks, it's so good to see you. Here, come and sit next to me. Remus, scoot over. Anwen, conjure a chair for her," Lily said, and Moony dutifully did indeed make room for the chair that my wife made appear.

Lunch arrived a while later, I had ordered her some chicken soup and a cup of tea, and there was enough commotion at the table that no one seemed to notice that Anwen barely ate anything. I reached over and took her hand and put my lips to her temple. "Is it any better?" I asked her. She shook her head slightly, clearly not wanting to deal with any more nausea.

"I'll take some more potion once I'm home," she said, exhaling.

"Do you still have the afternoon off?" She nodded, and rested her head on my shoulder again. Just then, Tonks tried to stand up, but instead knocked herself into the table, making three glasses fall over, spilling water and butterbeer all over the table.

"I am so sorry, I really didn't mean to do that. Crap, how am I ever going to get through stealth and concealment next term?" she said, trying to clean things up.

"You'll do fine. Go on, you need to get back, King is doing real terrain dueling this afternoon, and if you're late, he'll make you demonstrate. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Make sure that your essay is finished," Anwen told her, sounding every bit the Professor that she now was. It made me smile. James got hold of the bill before me, and paid for everyone's lunches, to much protestation from the rest of the adults at the table. I just looked at him and shook my head. _I'll get it the next time._ We started to get up, well, everyone except Harry, Ron and Hermione. They were still deep in conversation down at the end of the table. The crowd was moving toward the flooing area of the room.

"Hey you three, are you staying here all night, because if you want a room, I'd talk with Tom soon," I teased them, and they looked up, embarrassed.

"We're coming, we just had some things to discuss about school," Harry said. The three young students came towards us.

"How very studious of you," Anwen said skeptically. "Harry, what is all over your trousers?" He looked down at them. The cuffs of his black slacks had brown speckles all over them.

"Oh, um, its porridge. Ginny spilled hers at breakfast, I thought I had gotten it all cleaned up," he said quietly.

"Would you like me to clean it up?" she asked him and he nodded at her. Gently, Anwen moved her hand over the dried goo and it disappeared.

"Thanks Aunt Winnie, it's been that kind of day."

She wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders. "That's what I hear. How did you end up on Knocturn Alley this morning?" she queried, and I went to stand with them.

"I got distracted when I threw the floo powder into the grate," he replied.

"What would have distracted you, Harry?" I asked him. He looked up at me with that face that I knew all too well

"Nothing, it was stupid," he said, but I knew different. _He was distracted by a girl? What girl? He was at the Weasley's. _ I shook it off and we quickly moved along to catch up with everyone else.

"Are we still on for Saturday?" Ginny asked Winnie.

"Yes we are. And, just so you know, your brother Ron is coming along this time, along with James, Lily, Evan and Sirius – and who knows who else might join us," Anwen responded. The final outing of the summer was a trip to the London Zoo. It wasn't just going to be fun and relaxation however, Winnie had assigned them 18 inches of parchment on how Muggles and Wizards perceived animals differently.

"That's fine, I'll just hang with my guy here," the little redhead said, making a face at Evan.

The Weasleys decided to floo home, since there were so many of them and it wasn't practical to try to side–along apparate all the kids home. Harry left with them, since he still had most of his week long holiday at the Burrow to complete. James, Lily, Evan headed back to the Manor, Remus to the farm and the Grangers headed out into Muggle London to return to their house. Anwen and I went to do some shopping.

"Are you sure that you are okay?" I asked her when we were alone.

"Sirius, I'm fine. I promise," she told me, squeezing my hand as we walked along. We stopped to buy some chocolates and then continued to window shop. "I need to pick up some supplies in here, you want to come in?" she asked, stopping our walk once we reached the apothecary.

"Lead on, my darling love, lead on. Then we are going home, and I am going to draw you a bath," I told her and she gave me a sleepy smile and stopped walking and looked up at me.

"What ever did I do to deserve your love?"

"You loved me first dear, you loved me first," I said.

**Anwen POV:**

We had been waiting near the archway entrance to Platform 9 ¾ for nearly an hour. King and I had done our sweeps, we were just standing there now. The crowd was thick, but there was no one as animated as my best friend.

"Where in the name of Merlin's undershorts are they?" she said. I had never heard my friend use anything even close to foul language in years, and it made my head turn.

"Lily, they've got 5 children to get ready for school. They'll make it. It's not like they don't know when the train leaves," I told her, but she was still pacing back and forth. Just then Harry emerged from the train and came over to us.

"I'm going to walk down and go look for them again, okay?" He asked his father, who was attempting to keep Evan occupied, something easier said than done.

"Fine, fine," James replied dismissively.

Harry got a few steps away and yelled back, "They're starting to come through now. I'm going to go and help them get their things through," and with that, he was gone.

We greeted Molly who came through with Ginny. As Molly went to make sure the twins got their things on the train, along with themselves, I pulled Ginny aside.

"Are you ready?" I asked her. "This is a big day for you,"

"I am, I think. I'm going to miss you and Mrs. Potter and Evan. I hope that I will do all right in school, and that I make some friends," she said, sounding concerned.

"Ginny, you're a very smart, talented and likable girl. I am sure that your studies will be of no trouble to you, and you will most definitely make friends. You've already got one, Hermione," I told her, trying to reassure her.

"She's Harry and Ron's friend, not really mine," she said quietly.

"Well, I am sure that you will make friends with your dorm mates," I tried to reassure her. "I still get together with two of mine, and look what happened to Lily and me. Go on, have a good time, and know that you can write me anytime. Have Hagrid floo me to send Midnight to you, or you might be able to use Hedwig, he knows where we live." I hugged the little girl tightly. "Go on, have a good term, and I will see you at Christmas, and if you ever need anything from your Uncle Sirius or me, please make sure to let us know. I'll be in Hogsmeade every Thursday on patrol, and we will be there to watch Quidditch I'm sure," and I released her and she nodded at me. "Oh, and I have a little something for you." I reached into the pocket of my Auror robes and took out the small money bag. "This is what you've earned since we've got back from Italy. Use it wisely, and don't tell your brothers you have it." She hugged me again and then trotted off towards her father, who was with all of her things.

The train whistle blew it's five minute warning, and I jumped back on the train to run one last sweep. While some of the things I saw going on in the cabins were questionable, there was nothing that was downright illegal, so I had no recourse to stop it. I waved goodbye to Ginny, she was sitting with Hermione and some of her friends. I then gave the twins my best "mom" look, hoping that it might make them think twice about whatever they might have had planned. The clock struck eleven and the train was just starting to move when I stepped off of it, back onto the platform. King jogged up to meet me.

"Did you see Harry and Ron on the train?"

"No, but I wasn't really looking either. Why?"

"Um, we aren't sure that they are on the train. None of them, Molly, Arthur, Lily or James remembers seeing them, or helping them with their things," King told me. I looked at him, and closed my eyes as the pit of my stomach fell.

"Okay, um, let's get out to the station and see if they are out there. We can only hope. If not, I'll start the investigation, and you can go back to round up some more help. I knew that we needed more than two of us to cover this today," I threw out. King nodded at me. We had been undergoing "budget cuts" and to save money, the number of Aurors assigned to high profile jobs had been shrunk. We had both been in Scrimgeour's office arguing about this the other day.

We did one last sweep of the platform, but there was nothing. Most of the families had left by now and it was nearly empty. We tried to go through the archway, but found it blocked, which I thought was odd. The magical signature on the structure had changed color slightly, but it was in no way menacing, so I just figured that it was some sort of new security feature that Dumbledore had added. We all apparated out to the Muggle station, and were walking through the expansive building. Molly and Lily were both getting themselves into a tither, and their husbands were doing their best to calm them down. I started looking for Harry's magical signature, and I found it outside.

"Harry's outside, but he's still here. Come on, let's go and see what happened," I told everyone, and they seemed to calm down a bit. We got outside in time to see a blue Ford Angila flying over the parking lot.

"Bloody Hell," King yelled and I nodded at him. _We are in for a long afternoon._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello my fine readers, here's another wonderful chapter, which I lovingly dedicate to my husband, who was the inspiration for Sirius in this chapter. He most definitely treated me in this way, when we were in a similar situation. The events of the second book are starting to heat up, and we get to see them through the eyes of the adults that love Harry. The song for this chapter is "Life In One Day" by Howard Jones. A shout out to my beta, Peter (My Ginevra), for the amazing rate that he's getting chapters back to me. Look for two more updates this week. I don't own Harry Potter, but I do have nine tickets to the midnight show of HBP on Wednesday morning. There are no tickets left in the city I live in, we're completely sold out. Again, thanks for reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 8:**

**Growing things**

**Ginny Weasley POV:**

"Morning Ginny," Ron grumbled as he sat down and began filling his breakfast plate with food. He had sat down next to Harry, on the other side of the table. It was the most that he had spoken to me in days. He wasn't really very happy to see me, ever. He and Harry had gotten in trouble for flying the car to school, and some of the girls in my dorm had teased me about it. I decided not to say anything back, but just kept eating my porridge. _I thought it would be like when we were at home together, and he and I could be friends. Now, he seems embarrassed to be my big brother, and he's the one that's in trouble all the time._

_I had looked forward to going to Hogwarts, until I got here_._ The classes were a lot harder than I thought, and the teachers weren't as kind and understanding as Aunt Winnie had been last year when I was learning about art and music and languages from her. She made learning fun, now it just seemed like work. I couldn't even play Quidditch, because I couldn't have a broom, because I'm just a little first year._ I poured myself some more pumpkin juice and went back to my breakfast. _At least my first class today is Herbology, and it's with Ravenclaw. That means that Luna will be there. I know that people think that she's strange, which she is, but I like her – and she will talk with me. I wish we were in the same house, then I'd have a friend. We only have one class together. _

Just then, I saw Aunt Winnie's old owl, Midnight, fly in, with several letters. He landed in front of me, and I noticed that the top scroll had my name on it. I untied it, and gave her a bite of toast from my plate, and she hopped over to Harry and he untied a scroll as well. She then got up and flew to the head table, and waited as Professor McGonagall untied her letter and rewarded her for her services. Midnight then flew back, circled around me and flew off. _She's been told to wait at the owlery so that I can send back a message, just like Aunt Winnie had trained her to do. _ I looked at Harry, he was a little leery of the mail, the last time he had gotten any, it had been a howler from his Mum about the whole car thing. I shrugged and opened the letter.

_**Dear Ginny;**_

_**I am writing hoping that you are well and that school has been going well for you. Don't worry about your classes just yet, no matter what Hermione says, exams are months and months away. Just try to have fun and make friends. I was very proud to hear that you were sorted into Gryffindor. It was the first place that I felt I truly belonged. **_

_**This letter is to tell you that Uncle Sirius and I are going to have a baby next spring. We had been waiting to tell everyone, and now we feel confident that it is time. I am looking forward to having you come and help with the baby, as well as babysit for me next summer. Don't worry, it won't get in the way of your studies, or a summer trip, should you want to take one.**_

_**Sirius has written Harry, and I wanted to let Professor McGonagall know as well. If you need someone to talk to, she has a very kind ear, and a big shoulder to cry on, no matter what she might seem like in class. I am hoping that we will see you at the Quidditch match in November. Good luck this term, and please write back when you can.**_

_**Love;**_

_**Aunt Winnie **_

I looked up and Harry did at the same time. He was smiling.

"Did Uncle Sirius write you too?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"Nope. Mine was from Aunt Winnie, but I bet it said the same thing. This is so great. They must be so happy."

"Do you want to clue the rest of us in on what the two of you are talking about?" Hermione said, dropping her fork on her plate for effect.

"Aunt Winnie and Uncle Sirius are having a baby," Harry said, smiling brightly.

**Sirius POV:**

I was headed down the stairs and I could hear my wife singing away in the dining room. Her beautiful voice traveled through the house, its lilting sound ringing through the hallway and up the stairs. _Thank you, whoever you are who gave us this gift, it made my sweet one so happy. Thank you for letting us make it this far, just please, keep them safe until the end. _ I stopped and sighed, and realized that somewhere along the way Anwen's deep faith had rubbed off on me. I believed in something that I had never really thought of before I knew her. _Thank you too for giving her hope as well. _ My attention was turned back to my wife when I heard that the notes of her singing had ended, and I heard the familiar retching noise coming from the downstairs loo. I hurried down to check on her.

"Love, is there anything I can get for you?" I asked, after gently knocking on the door.

"No," she said opening the door to me. She went back to leaning over the sink, rinsing out her mouth. "This part is supposed to be stopping." She stopped to spit. "I can't wait. I've spent the last three months worshiping the porcelain god, there," she leaned her head toward the toilet. "I would really like to keep some of what I'm eating in me for a change. The Healer told me that I need to start putting on weight, or at least stop loosing it." She took another swig of water, swirled and spit again. She turned to look at me, and I lifted her shirt to rub the now rather pronounced bulge in her belly. _She is so petite, pretty soon she is going to look like she has a quaffle in there._

"I know love. Do you want some more of the peppermint potion that she brewed for you? It does seem to help," I asked, my hand moving across her. Her hand came and she twined her fingers into mine.

"Let's see how the morning progresses. Our guests should be here any moment. I can't wait to tell them. Then I need to go in to work and tell King, Alastor and my boss." Anwen had stopped using his name after the fiasco at King's Cross. She blamed the department head for not having enough Aurors on the platform to keep the situation from getting to the point where the kids needed to take the car. "I will do another few months of duty shifts, but by the end of the calendar year, I want to just be teaching. I also need to figure out who will cover my spring classes once the baby gets here. I think that King knew something was up when I begged off of dueling at the beginning of term, but he didn't say anything. He knows that I love to fight him," she smiled at me.

"I am sure that you will figure everything out," I said, leaning down to kiss her. Her hands came up to twine in my hair, and I pulled her to me. The kiss was just getting interesting, when we heard James calling up from the floo fireplace. "Sirius, Anwen, where are you?" We broke apart, and I quickly leaned down to kiss her belly before returning her blouse to it's proper place. "We're up here, in the dining room," I yelled back. Anwen gave me that look of hers, about yelling in the house.

"You know, someday our kids are going to be screaming all over this house, and you are going to wonder why they are doing it, and I will remind you that I didn't want you yelling in the house," she mocked me, wagging her fingers at me. I grabbed them and kissed them instead.

Lily, James and Evan came up from the basement and we went to sit down at the dining room table. A moment later, Remus came in. We all sat down, and started passing around the food. Anwen was smiling brightly, humming a little tune.

"Okay, there must be something going on. Spill it, Winnie. You invited us over for breakfast, what's so important that it couldn't wait for a more reasonable hour of the day?" Lily asked her.

"Sirius and I would like to let you all know, that we are..." she took a deep breath, "...three months and one day pregnant. We are due to have a little baby on April 2," she said. Her smile spread across her entire face and she was literally glowing now. Except for the minute I saw her at our wedding, I had never seen her look more beautiful. Lily squealed and got up from the chair and went over to hug her best friend. Anwen stood and returned the embrace, and then lifted her shirt to show off her little bump. Lily's hand came to rest on it and she hugged her again. James reached over and put a hand on my shoulder, and Remus shook my hand. It was obvious that Evan wasn't happy that we weren't paying attention to him, because he took the chance and threw his eggs across the table. We all laughed at him, except for Lily, who was embarrassed by his outburst.

"Oh, I'll have to write Harry later, or maybe I can use your mirror, James," Lily said.

"Sorry, beat you there Lils. We send him, Ginny and Minerva letters with Midnight this morning," Anwen told her, and Lily nodded her head.

"It was your news to tell," she moaned, clearly sad that she wouldn't get to share the news.

Anwen and Lily spent all of breakfast talking about morning sickness, maternity clothes, nursery items and other things that I really didn't want to know about. _What in the world is a breast pump? On second thought, do I want to know?_ When the conversation turned to names, I perked back up. Maybe someone would be on my side in this.

"No, you don't want to hear his suggestions, James. They are simply awful. I mean really, who would saddle their poor child with Bluebell Black as a name?" Anwen explained.

"But you love flowers. Don't you think it's cute? Daddy's little Bluebell," I added. Lily just shook her head, Remus looked at me like I had grown a second head, but it was James response that was the worst.

"Padfoot, this is your child, not a pet. My advice, let Anwen pick the name, and just agree with her," he suggested. I didn't like his answer.

"That is wonderful advice," Anwen gushed at James. "I suggest that you take it, dear. Anyway, I think that we should work with the star name legacy of the Black family. We just need to find names that haven't been used before. I'm also going to look through my family Bible for good Welsh names," Anwen added. We had been over this several times in the last few months, and it was becoming obvious that I was going to lose it. I really didn't think that it was something that we should continue, but she was clearly attached to it.

"What are your parents names again, Anwen?" Moony asked her.

"Nothing that we would be using, trust me; Caldwalder and Rhosyn, which aren't bad. Their kids names, however," she stopped and stuck her tongue out. "I mean really, what were they thinking, they named their children: Anwen, Islwyn, Haf and Eira; but the worst was Merelydd, can't imagine why she insisted that we call her Liddy from the time that she could speak. My father named her Merelydd – this is why I'm not letting Sirius do it," she pretended to shudder. "Oh, but I did find something out when I was researching the family tree. Did you two know that you're related?" She said, waving her finger between James and I. I shook my head at my wife.

"Yup, James, you're great Uncle, um, Charlus was married to Dorea Black, who was the sister of Pollux Black. Pollux Black was Sirius' grandfather on his mother's side. So, the two of you are like third cousins, once removed or something, I think. Good thing Lily and I were Muggle born, because there weren't any other pureblood cousins to marry you off to. Gross practice by the way. Anyway..." _I really do love it when she got rambling and talking so fast._

"Well, good luck finding the right name. We can tell you from experience that even if you think you know what you're going to do, you can get into the delivery room and make a different choice. Harry wasn't Harry until we met him," Lily told us. James just nodded.

"We were going to name him Andrew James, after my father and me, but we saw him, and realized that he didn't look like an Andrew," my best mate explained, I had never heard this before.

"He resembled my grandfather, Harry Leighton, my mum's father. So, he ended up being Harry James. Thankfully, we hadn't told anyone what we were thinking, so it wasn't a problem to change it," Lily concluded.

"Good to know," Anwen added, and she looked down at me and smiled. "Well, I hate to break this party up, but I do need to get in to work this morning. I have two classes to teach this afternoon, as well as let my partner and co–workers know that I am going to be a Mama. How about if we meet for a night out tomorrow? I'm in the mood to go dancing," she grinned at me.

"Oh, that sounds like so much fun. What do you think James?" Lily asked her husband.

"Can we get a sitter?" he asked her. Lily's face fell.

"I'll come over and watch Evan, you four go out and have a pleasant evening," Remus said.

"Are you sure? Babysitting a toddler can't be the best way to spend your Saturday night Remus," Lily said, reaching across the table to talk his hand.

"It's that or research. Toddler time will be an unexpected change of pace," he added. Again I saw something pass between Lily and Anwen. _These two are up to something, I wish I knew what it was._

We completed our plans for the following night, and they all congratulated us again. Once they were gone, Anwen summoned her Auror robes and then draped them over her arm. "Goodbye love, I should be home a little after four. Are you working today?" she asked me, her soft hand coming up to stroke the hair away that had fallen over my eyes.

"Nope. I need to do some research, and then I have a meeting at the bank," I told her. She looked at me puzzled.

"Just need to review the investments, and see if the researcher has discovered anything else about what may have happened to my grandfather's other children," I told her. I still wasn't convinced that there wasn't more to learn there. "Would you like me to come over and have lunch with you?"

"That would be lovely darling. I am so very happy. Thank you, thank you for this," she said, her eyes getting wet with tears. I pulled my wife into a hug and kissed her head. _The weepiness is really something. She cried too much before, now its just, wow. _ I walked her down to the floo and kissed her and the baby goodbye and then went up to my study to review what we knew about a curse that needed to be broken.

**Anwen POV:**

I was lying on the bed, trying in vain it would seem to fasten my skirt together. I had already charmed the darn thing twice, and I still couldn't get the zipper to close. _It's not bad enough that I can't wear a button down shirt because I keep popping the buttons, but now, I can't wear my favorite skirts. _Hot tears started falling down my face as Sirius walked in.

"Love, are you all right? Is the baby?" he asked, coming to sit on the bed next to me, his hand on my now swollen belly.

"We're fine, I just have nothing to wear," I sighed, wiping my face. "I've charmed the heck out of my clothes, and I still can't make them stretch. I feel fat, Sirius," I whined at him. He laid down next to me, sliding one arm behind my back and stroking my arm, his other hand gently rubbing the place where our baby was growing.

"Love, you are 4 months pregnant, and you were as tiny as a mouse to begin with. The Healer told you that you would start to show early. It's a good thing, it means that he or she is growing the way that they should," he said in a gentle, comforting voice. "You've got maternity robes in there, why do you refuse to wear them?" he asked me.

"Because, from the minute I told everyone at work, they've been treating me like some sort of a china doll. I'm the best dueler in the department, and no one will fight me, and not because they are concerned that I will beat them. They're afraid I'll break or something. It's driving me crazy," I reached up and started yanking at my hair, but Sirius took my hands in his one, and brought them to his lips to kiss them.

"Darling, no one in their right mind would ever question your power. You're even stronger now that you're pregnant. I think that you're somehow drawing on the baby's magic and it's strengthening yours. When you're practicing shielding Harry from a distance, you don't draw as much power from me anymore. I can feel the difference," he explained, his breath caressing my face. "Everyone just wants to make sure that you stay safe. Please, for me, let them," he said, kissing my hands again, and then kissing up my arm.

"You're not playing fair there," I moaned. Since the morning sickness had finally abated, I had discovered one of the other benefits of the hormonal rush of pregnancy: for the first time I was more randy than my husband. "Sirius, I am trying to get my clothes on, not take them off."

"Fine, this can wait for later; but just so you know, I have never found you more desirable. You're not fat love, very very far from it," he whispered in my ear, and I felt my resolve nearly collapse. That's when Sirius decided to get up off the bed and walk to my closet. He took out a black flowing skirt that had the charmed panel in the front that would adjust to fit my growing belly. "Now, let's find a blouse to go with this," he said. _Do you really want him picking out your clothes? He dresses himself fine, but do you want him dressing you?_

"Sirius, the maternity blouses that Lily sent over are ghastly. Frilly and flowing with these ridiculous collars. I look like a muggle clown in them," I told him, and he looked at me not understanding. I shook my head at him. "What I need is a shirt like the one you're wearing, big enough to fit me. Something that wouldn't make me look like I was draped in fabric," I said glumly. Sirius was walking toward me, unbuttoning the dark green oxford shirt he was wearing and pulling it free from his trousers. He slid it off his arms and handed it to me.

"Here, you wear it, I can find something else," he said, kissing me lightly. I started to cry again. "Okay woman, enough with the tears. Come on, let's get you dressed," he smiled at me and I put my head on his chest. _How I love this man._ That's when I felt it.

"Sirius, oh, Sirius you won't believe it! I think I just felt the baby kick. Here, put your hand here," I said, grabbing his hand and putting it on the spot on my belly that I swore I had just felt a little foot give a good strong kick. We stood there, almost afraid to breathe, when it happened again. I looked up at his face and it was covered in a combination of excitement and awe. "It knows that you're being kind to me, and it made it happy," I crowed. We stood there for a moment, waiting for another kick. We must have looked strange, Sirius with no shirt on, me with a half fastened skirt and camisole on, his shirt in my hand, my free hand and one of his on my belly. We were rewarded for our patience. "It's a feisty little thing," I said.

"Winnie, we need to stop calling the baby, it," he reprimanded me.

"But I don't want to know what it is until it gets here," I reminded him.

"Fine, but can we at least come up with a nickname? Lily and James referred to both of the boys as 'boopie' before they were born," he reminded me. I remembered, and I thought it was a dumb nickname.

"We can, but nothing as stupid as 'boopie'. You know what, I think I will ask Ginny when I see her later. I'm worried about her, she hasn't written in a few weeks. I need to go up to Hogwarts to talk with Minerva this afternoon anyway, I got permission to take her out for dinner while I'm there," I told him as he was helping me fasten the skirt he had chosen for me to wear. _Okay, it does fit better. I hate it when he's right._

"Maybe she's just gotten so involved in school, she doesn't have time to write her old, overprotective aunt," he teased me, helping me button his shirt. I took a deep breath and smiled. _It smells like him, I closed my eyes and swam in the comfort it gave me._ "There love, you look beautiful and not at all frilly and funny."

"Thank you. Would you like to meet us for dinner?"

"I can't. James and I have a job in Northern Ireland today. Nasty curse that was put on a man who stepped out on his wife...I'm afraid that we'll be rather late. Won't go to St. Mungo's because of the nature of the curse and it's location," he chuckled while giving me that cocky, marauder's smile that melted my heart and then kissed my head. "Enjoy your girls night out love, and we can pick up where we left off earlier," his eyes dark with desire, and I was almost tempted to call in sick. I think that he could feel this, so he released me. "Go on now, have a good day, and know that I love both of you very, very much." I nodded at him.

Dinner with Ginny was pleasant, and she was happy to see me, but spending time with her only made me more worried. She looked pale, well, paler than usual and her eyes had deep bags under them. We talked about classes and friends, but something was off about her. When I took her back to the castle, I quick ran up to Minerva's office again, and asked her about Ginny.

"Anwen, she's doing quite well in her classes, many of her professors say she's nearly as bright as Hermione Granger," she said rather proudly.

"Okay, she just looked off while we were out. If you think of anything that I can do, let me know. I think I'll send Midnight up here to stay with Hagrid for a while, that way if she wants to write, she can." Minerva nodded at me.

"I've noticed the change as well, which is why I let her go out with you this evening. I was hoping that she might confide in you. If you find anything out dear..." she asked

"I will tell you," I finished and then left, telling her I needed to see Hagrid on my way out.

**Sirius POV:**

I was pacing back and forth in Dumbledore's office. It was late when my wife was summoned by the Hogwarts Headmaster to come and look at something at the school. He needed her perspective and knowledge, but he needed to do it outside of Ministry channels. Of course, Anwen had immediately gotten up and dressed to come and help, but there was no way that I was going to let her come all on her own. The last time she needed to investigate something here at the school, Voldemort had been slinking through the bowels of the castle. She didn't fight me on coming here, but she insisted that I stay in the office, saying that I would "get in her way."

After what seemed like an eternity, she came back with Albus. She looked so very tired. We had been out with Evan and the rest of the family, celebrating Halloween earlier in the evening, and we were just settling in for the night when Albus had patronused her. "What did you find?" I asked her.

"Well, the blood is animal. I couldn't determine what it was without some of my lab equipment. The cat is simply petrified, but it wasn't by spell or potion; and the magical signature..." her thought was interrupted by her yawning. "...I am so sorry. I'm exhausted tonight. As I was saying, it was an odd magical signature, very diffuse and not strong. If I didn't know better, I'd say something was being Imperioused," she concluded, ending with another yawn.

"Professor, if you don't need anything else, I think that I need to take my wife home" I said to the old Headmaster, walking over to take Anwen in my arms. She looked like she was dozing while on her feet.

"Please do, Anwen has been of the utmost help this evening. I appreciate that I can rely on her expertise, without having to involve her colleagues. If you think of anything else, please contact me" he said, and she nodded at him. "Will we see you both next weekend for the Gryffindor Quidditch match?" he asked.

"Yes you most definitely will. Need to support my high flying godson there, and Anwen isn't allowed to use her Animagus while she is pregnant, so she will be sitting with us as well," I said protectively. I was happy that her duty shifts were becoming fewer and fewer, and she wasn't taking so many risks.

"Then please plan on joining me for lunch when the match is over," he asked us and I nodded at him. "Let the rest of your family know as well," he suggested, meaning James, Lily and Remus. "Again, Auror Hodgson-Black, thank you for your help." Anwen rolled her eyes at his using of her formal name.

"Anytime old friend, it is my pleasure to help," Anwen said to him, and then she turned her sleepy eyes to me. "Please take me home love, I'm ready to collapse," she sighed. A moment later we were home, and I carried her back to the comfort of our bed. She fell soundly asleep, in her clothes and all.

"James, would you slow down?" I was yelling at him. I had sprinted away from Anwen, and I was hoping that Lily or Remus was with her. She had been a little unsteady on her feet as of late, and it was muddy from the rainfall today. She had always been graceful, but the change in her center of gravity from the baby had made her unquestionably, wobbly. Albus was at my side as we raced after James onto the Quidditch Pitch.

"Get your ruddy wand away from my son!" he yelled at Lockhart who had reached the field before we had. "You will not be doing anything to him," James roared, and the DADA teacher backed away from Harry. James knelt down next to him on one side, and I was on the other. I was suddenly a muddy mess. Albus stood at his head. "Harry, son, tell me where it hurts" James asked.

"My arm. I think it's broken," Harry replied. "Thanks for saving me from that idiot," Harry whispered to his father, but loud enough so that Albus and I could hear. I laughed out loud. _We were all of the same opinion after spending only a few minutes with him at the bookstore. _"Harry, that's your Professor, show a little respect," James said in a rather dull voice, letting Harry know that he agreed with him, but if Lily had heard, she would believe that James had corrected him. _Is parenting this much of a land mine all the time? How am I ever going to do this?_

"Albus, how did that Bludger end up acting that way? It nearly wrecked the stadium, and it was clearly after Harry?" James questioned the Headmaster. Albus started to talk, but from behind us I heard my favorite voice.

"It was charmed. It's not a Wizarding signature, however," Anwen said as she approached us. "I saw magic on it, and it was familiar somehow, but it wasn't a typical signature." She took my hand and I stood up. Lily came to crouch next to her elder son, being smart enough to charm herself so that she wasn't in the mud. Remus was behind us, holding onto Evan, who was watching his first Hogwarts match today, also well charmed by his mother to keep him warm and dry.

"Well, I think that the first order of business should be getting Mr. Potter to the hospital wing. James will you carry your son, please?" the Headmaster ordered, and James went to lift his older son.

"Please, Dad, I can walk. Please, it would be embarrassing," Harry said, and James consented. James did put a protective arm around his son, able to help him should the need arise. I went to take the other side, but Albus stopped me.

"Sirius, would you go with Anwen to investigate what happened with the Bludger? I know that Madame Hooch will want to assess it, but I think that your particular skills will be helpful here. I will have the Professors make repairs to the stands." I nodded my understanding, and we watched as James, Harry and Lily left the pitch for the hospital wing. They were followed by the rest of the Quidditch team, Ron and Hermione, Hagrid, Remus, Ginny who had now taken Evan from Remus and Gilderoy Lockhart. They made the strangest procession out of the pitch. I looked down at my wife, who had put on her 'Auror face.'

"Come on Crime Scene lady, let's go and see what you can find." She shook her head, and we walked over to where the flying instructor was inspecting the still wiggling box containing the iron ball that the Weasley twins had wrestled inside.

"I'm concerned about opening the box. Wouldn't want that thing to get away again," the older woman said.

"Let me see what I can do about that," I said. I pulled my wand out and cast two charms over the box. The first was a spell that James and I used when we needed to look through walls to confirm what was behind them. The rogue ball was indeed still bouncing against it's restraints inside the box. The second was a small containment charm. If there was an explosion or breakage in the box, it would hold the pieces in place.

"Very handy skill there Mr. Black. Nice to know that you learned something while you were at school," she said, and my wife sniggered behind my back. I shot her a look and she just looked away and whistled a tune.

"All right, let me have a look," she requested, and I stepped aside to let her in closer. I, remained close behind her, a protective arm on her shoulder, so that I could move her out of the way if that thing were to bust loose. "Well, it was tampered with, because there is a magical signature on it, but the magic isn't from a witch or wizard. It wasn't done with a wand, I suppose that it could have been Elemental magic, but you'd have to be a Master in order to do that."

"Could it have been a student doing wandless magic?" I asked her and she shook her head at me. "A student who could do wandless magic would have immense amounts of power, this is lacking in power. I've seen something like it, but it's not something that I have gone to any lengths to remember. I wish I could recall where it was, maybe it was here in the castle?" She was rambling and getting frustrated at it.

"It's okay love," I told her, kissing her temple. Somehow, the pregnancy had made her mind work slower. She shook her head, clearly frustrated. "Do you want some help putting these away?" I asked the flying instructor.

"No, I'm going to leave them right here, in case it does break free. Shouldn't hurt anyone out here," she said. _ I forgot just how gruff she could be_. "Now, I noticed that young Mr. Potter has picked up some new skills, quite a few remind me of a certain Seeker that was here 15 years ago, who flew like a bird. Also, his broom has had a few, um, custom upgrades. Do either of you know anything about that?"

"Just sharing our flying knowledge with the younger members of our family," Anwen responded, that wicked, mischievous smile crossing her face. "He flew wonderfully today, even used that trick that I used against him back in the spring, taking both hands off the handle" she said proudly. She had flown with Harry for an hour or two every day, and had really taught him some useful tricks.

"Well, he was impressive today. So what position is that little one gonna play?" she asked, pointing at the beautiful bump on Anwen.

"Anything but Keeper. Pup will need to be moving more than that" Anwen replied. The baby had been moving a lot lately.

"Pup?" she was quizzed.

"Ginny Weasley helped me come up with a nickname, and she figured Pup was the right one. We were referring to the baby as 'it' before that, so Pup is clearly better." I did not want to go into any further explanation. I was really touched by the thought behind the choice.

"Well, let's get into the castle and have some lunch. You both should get yourselves dried off and cleaned up as well. I'm sure everyone else is up in the hospital wing." I nodded to the flying instructor, and we entered through the Gryffindor locker room tunnel. It was empty, so I took the time to not only clean myself and my wife up, but to kiss her. We made our way up to the hospital wing, and the rest of our family was there. Ginny was sitting on the floor with Hermione and Evan and Ron was sitting on Harry's bed. James, Lily and Remus had taken up various spots around his bed and Albus was at the foot of the bed, conferring with Minerva and Poppy Pomfrey. Molly and Arthur Weasley were standing by, talking to each other.

"You know kid, you're in here so much, they are going to put a plaque on one of these beds, and just reserve it for you," I teased him. My wife hit me in the ribs the same time that Harry tossed a dirty sock at me. "How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fine, but I've got to stay here overnight," he said glumly.

"It won't be that bad. Get a good night's sleep and you can go back in the morning, unless you want to come home for a few days," Lily said hopefully. Harry just rolled his eyes at her.

"He will be fine at school, Lily," James reminded her. Just then a table appeared, and enough chairs for all that were assembled in the room, including a highchair for Evan; and just like downstairs, the food magically appeared on the table.

"Why don't we all tuck in for a spot of lunch? Harry, your mother can make you a plate. You're staying in bed," Poppy told him, and he sunk a little farther into the bed. We made our way over to the table, and I held the chair for my wife, who rather unceremoniously dropped into it. I sat down next to her, and Ginny was on the other side.

"Don't you want to sit next to your mother and father?" she asked. Ginny shook her head.

"I'm a little angry at them right now. They've decided to go to Egypt to see Bill for Christmas break, so we are all stuck here. Last year, we were with Auntie Muriel, this year we're at Hogwarts. I haven't been with my Mum and Dad for Christmas since I was 9," she whined. Winnie put an arm around her.

"We're going to Canada, to see my family, since I can't travel by Portkey after the first of the year, until the baby is born. You are welcome to come with us," she offered.

"No," Ginny said glumly. "I'll stay with my brothers. Hermione has to stay too, her parents are at a dental conference. Harry is hoping to stay too, but he hasn't talked with his parents yet. Don't say anything," she asked.

"Ginny, that's one conversation that I don't want to be a part of, at all," I told her.

Lunch was full of animated conversations. Rumors about who the heir of Slytherin could be, and what exactly was the Chamber of Secrets. I watched as the five of us listened to the students, and I could tell that we were all somewhat surprised at what was going on. We heard about Ron's attack of slug vomiting, and the reason for it. Both Lily and Anwen talked with Hermione about the term 'mudblood' and how they had both been called it while they were at school. It seemed to help the young girl some.

As we were finishing up pudding, I heard an interesting comment from Moony "... honestly Albus, wasn't there anyone else that you could have hired for Defense. The man is completely unqualified." The Headmaster just shook his head. "If you need someone in the future, I'll do it. At least I know what I'm doing," Moony promised. There was a glint of excitement in the Headmaster's eyes. _I wonder what Remus just got himself into._

As everyone was leaving, James came up behind me and whispered in my ear, "Family meeting, 8:00, Manor." I nodded my understanding, and Anwen and I went to Albus' office to floo home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello all my fine readers, it's Tuesday night here, and my house is filled with teenage girls who are quite excited about the Premier of the Half Blood Prince tonight at midnight. They're all in costume and we're going to partake in Golden Snitch Cake in a little while. Deep thanks to my beta, Peter, because apparently Anwen's pregnancy has effected my brain and I lost the ability to add punctuation to the ends of sentences. He will begin posting his amazing and epic "The Hogs Head" on FanFiction next week, and honestly, it deserves to be called the 8th book in the series, it's that good. He makes my writing better by simply reading and supporting me. Well, enjoy this chapter, some very interesting things happen here. I don't own Harry Potter, but, I do have a house full of giggles. It seems like a fair trade right now. Mutt**

**Chapter 9:**

**Family Meetings**

**Sirius POV:**

"Okay, Daffodils are your favorite flowers. What about them? You can speak seventeen languages, translate it into something else," I suggested to my wife. Anwen and I were lying in bed. She was propped up on pillows, half sitting, half lying; I was resting with my head next to the very pronounced bulge in her belly. I could watch the little hand or foot or whatever it was moving across her, doing some sort of dance. We were still 'discussing' names. She wanted to go with my family tradition of star and constellation names; I didn't.

"Well, in Italian it's _Guinchiglia_ which is a mouthful, and not very pretty. In French, it's _Jonquille_ which I do like, but you do know that daffodils are from the botanical family, Narcissus, right" she asked me. "Sounds a little too much like a name that's already in your family; and don't go with the name beautiful either, because in romance languages it sounds something like Belle or Bella, which we aren't using," she said sounding so smart. _ I hate it when she knows more stuff than I do, which is unfortunately most of the time._

"What about your name. You told me Anwen Llyn means beautiful lake. What if we used your name, but in English instead of Welsh," I asked her. The baby kicked again, and even though it was making Anwen grimace, I was fascinated with the movement.

"Amy. The name in English is Amy. We can do better than Amy Black. A little dull, darling. After all, her parents names are Sirius and Anwen. Come on, just listen to the names that I have come up with, please. And nothing that starts with a 'b'. Names that are full of alliteration are silly. I know that the Wizarding world is full of them, but they sound like a childhood tongue twister," she begged me, and I just decided that I needed to relent, she was getting wound up too quickly here.

"Okay, I'll listen to your ideas, but we do still have three months until we have a name. I'm not saying that we will use any of these," I didn't want her thinking that she had won this battle. _I want to distinguish us from the rest of the family. I want us to be different._

"I really want to name our first daughter after Lily. She is my best friend, and she means everything to me. But I also want to honor your family, and I know that your cousin Andromeda is important. So, what if we gave her the name Lilyan, L-I-L-Y-A-N, for both of them, and then the middle name, Vega, to keep with the stellar theme. Lilyan Vega Black. I like the sound of it, and Lily could be her godmother," my wife told me, and as much as I hated to admit it, I loved the name. It was beautiful, just like our little girl would be. _ I can see our little green eyed, brown haired little girl. I could see her running and laughing in the sunlight, with Padfoot of course._ I was so lost in the thought that I blurted out:"Anwen, it's beautiful, I love that name, and Lily will be so honored. James was right, I should have just listened to you from the start," I said, _oops, so much for not letting her have the upper hand, better go with it. _I lifted myself up so that I could kiss her. "Why don't you tell me what you think we should name our son?" I asked, assuming that she had given this some thought as well.

"Um, this one took a little more research. I had an idea, and went searching for the right name to fit it. Well, I like the name Ethan Seren Black. Ethan means strong in Hebrew, and Seren is star in Welsh. And it somehow, a name that represents a strong star seems perfect for this family," she said.

"That's it. It's a good name, Ethan Black, sounds like a Quidditch player to me. Who would you want to be the godfather," I asked her. She smiled gently at me. "I think we should make Albus his godfather. I don't know how we would pick between James and Remus, and I've gone over it a hundred times in my head, and I keep changing my mind, and then when I think about Albus doing it, it just seems right," there were tears in her eyes.

"Love, it's perfect. You're prefect," I told her. She smiled at me, again, even though she was crying. I pulled up so that my face was next to hers. "You're so beautiful," I told her, kissing the tears from her lashes. She sighed at my touch and I kissed her deeply. Her tongue danced with mine and my hand slid up inside of the tee shirt she was wearing to bed. I went to caress her, but she shied away. "Winnie, love, what's wrong" I asked her, kissing the side of her face and her jaw.

"I just,...I feel...Sirius, I'm as horny as well, you, right now; but at the same time I feel rather fat and undesirable. If we're going to do this, can we at least turn off the lights so you don't have to see me...so I don't have to see me," she begged. My hand moved back down to her swelling mid section. I opened it full, so that I could stretch my fingers and cover as much of her as possible.

"Anwen, this does not make you fat, this makes you so beautiful, so sexy. This is my, our baby. You are growing a little life in you, a little life that will have your patience and kindness. I hope it has soft brown hair and big green eyes. You have given me something that no one in my whole life has given me, a family that is mine and that loves me. My parents didn't love, not the way you do. Having a child was their duty. This baby, it's a sign of how much we love each other. We will love this little boy or little girl and teach it to embrace life. Pup will be loved the way you love me. So Anwen, don't ever think that way about yourself. I want you, I want to feel all of you and be with you, and this, here," I said, squeezing her with the tips of my fingers, "this makes you that much more desirable" I told her. "Now, as for your being horny, I think that is something that we can..."

She hit me with a wave of want so strong that it would have knocked me off my feet, and then she attacked me. Her fingers were twined in my hair, and her lips traced down my throat and I was lost in the way her soft flesh felt beneath my fingers. We were then interrupted by a stag bounding its way into our bedroom. It pranced around the room, clearly trying to get our attention. I was half tempted to ignore it, but Anwen stopped kissing me.

"We need you here, now. Problem with Harry." James voice announced and then it evaporated, and we looked at each other. _This is the third damn meeting in four weeks. What the hell is going on up at that school? _ I slid off the bed, and then helped Anwen off. I went to the closet and quickly dressed. When I got back to the bedroom proper, I nearly laughed at my wife as she was attempting to get her shoes on. She was sitting on the bed, trying to get her foot up to put her shoe on, but she couldn't get it close enough. She looked like she was going to cry.

"I can't reach my feet anymore," she said glumly. My laughter wouldn't have helped here, no matter how funny it was so I simply went over, knelt down and slipped her shoes onto her feet, and then stood up and kissed her lightly. "Come on, let's go see what he's gotten himself into this time, and then we can finish what we started here," and I gave her my hand. Within minutes we were in the hallway at Potter Manor.

**Anwen POV:**

We came through the floo, and James was waiting in the entry way for us. I was thankful for it, I had forgotten to let Sirius go through first, and with my growing mid section, I tended to fall out of the floo. Thankfully, James was there to catch me.

"Thanks for coming at this late hour," he started. I was tired and very horny, and I let loose on him without thinking.

"James, this had better be important, because I am one now really horny pregnant lady who was about to..."Sirius came through the fireplace and was standing behind me "...have mind blowing sex with her very devoted and creative husband," when the words were out of my mouth, I realized what I had said, and I could feel the blush crawl up my neck. James looked at me in shock.

"How do you know it would have been mind blowing," Sirius asked me in a voice no louder than a whisper. James turned and walked away, shaking his head, muttering something under his breath like "How does he do it?" _Might as well go with it. _"Always is dear, always is," I smiled back at him, and he kissed my neck, under where my haphazard pony tail hung. We followed James into the library, and went to our usual seats.

Remus and Lily were already hitting the books, and to my surprise, the Potter family tree diagram had been brought out, and was spread out on the far end of the table. It was much larger and more complete than the Black Family one that I had been working with at home. Much more useful than the darn tapestry as well.

"Okay, what happened this time? Has there been another attack?" Sirius asked.

"No, thankfully, no one else has been petrified, it's something that could be a potential wrinkle in our understanding of Harry's power and it's quite puzzling..." Lily mused from where she was sitting at the table, her head never leaving the book that she was looking through. _Okay, it must be bad if Lily is willing to be rude to us._

"What is Lil?" I asked her. Her head popped up and she looked at me. "Harry can apparently speak Parseltongue," she said. I looked at Sirius and then we both sat down. _Wow, that is one really really rare gift, and one that typically only runs in certain family lines. I can see why is concerned._ I looked at my best friend again, and I could tell that she was barely holding it together here. I reached over and took her hand. "Lily, you need to take a deep breath, this isn't inherently bad," I told her, but she looked at me oddly.

"Really, you know anyone good who has this skill," she queried, sounding somewhat perturbed.

"Lil, it's a skill, nothing else. People choose to use dark magic, a skill isn't inherently light or dark. Believe me, if there was a change in Harry's magic, I would know it. The color is the same as it's always been," I told her. I was checking on Harry daily now, and practicing projecting a shield on him from London to Scotland. "And, no, I don't know anyone who can do it, but I'm not sure that anyone alive has the skill, Lil. And I know what you fear is, that it somehow means that Harry is the 'Heir of Slytherin' or whatever the dumb writing says, but there may be a logical explanation of this. Remember there wasn't a projecting visualist born in Great Britain for 100 years before I discovered my talent. It's just rare. That's all," I squeezed her hand and I felt Sirius shoot me a pulse of pride and thankfulness. I smiled gently at him, and then looked down the table. "Remus what are you reading there?" I asked, he lifted the tome so that I could see the cover.

"Huntley's Wizarding Registry." I nodded my head, and knew that it was indeed the book that we needed. Generally, unique gifts did not need to be registered with the Ministry. There were of course exceptions to that rule, like being an Animagus--because it could be devastating to have animals roaming around with the skills and intelligence of full grown witches and wizards; or being an incendium--someone with the ability to manipulate and control fire without the use of a spell or wand. Mastered Elementals were registered for the same reason. Huntley's however, is an unofficial registry, where different skills could be researched. It was important to pure blood families, who were making arranged marriages, so that they ensured the best skills would be handed down to future generations. It also provided them to track Squibs, so that you could avoid marrying off your child into a line that produced children who were without magical talent. _Pure blood mania may have produced the book, but it was a helpful reference._

"Have you found anything yet?" I asked him.

"Well, there are only seven listed in here," he said, and I nodded, "and the last was Voldemort—well Tom Riddle" again I nodded. But if we go to the one before him, it was someone named Squire Flint, born in 1823 and lived until, 1944. Had six children," he said, something about that name rang a bell.

"Can you read off the names?" I asked him. Everyone else stopped what they were doing, to listen to us. "Sure," Remus replied, and he started listing them, "Matthieus, Agnes, Millicent, McClaine, Stimmerman and Ursula."

"We're not using any of those, love," Sirius teased, and I appreciated his desire to lighten the mood.

"Good," I said making a face. "Ursula Flint, she married Phinneas Nigellus Black. She was the grandmother of Dorea Black, so she would be Harry's great, great, great, great, great aunt, since it was Charles brother that had the family line that lead to James," I had to count them off on my fingers to get it right. _Yeah, six generations, I think I got that right._ "Granted, the Potter family is and older and stronger family," I turned to Sirius, "Sorry, dear, but genetically they are because they were far less concerned about the whole pure blood marriage thing. Most families don't realize that outside blood actually makes the bloodline more stable than less," I told him.

"Anwen, I could have told you that. You are clearly the stronger of the two of us. No doubt in my mind. But how did you know that about my family?" He asked me.

"Name research dear, name research," she mused. "Anyway, it's in the bloodline, so it wouldn't be unheard of for Harry to have it, so I don't really think that we should flip out here. We can talk with him when he comes home next week. When does the train get into London?"

"He won't be on it," Lily said, shooting her husband a look. _That must be the look that the old saying, if looks can kill was based on._

"Lily, he will be fine. The Weasley's and Hermione will be at school with him, and Albus and Minerva will be keeping an eye on him..." James said, and Sirius, Remus and I looked at each other. None of us liked to be in the room when James and Lily didn't agree on something.

"He's spending Christmas at school with his friends rather than coming home. James told him that it would be all right. Told Harry to enjoy himself," she was seething over this.

"Okay, um, is he coming home at all, or are they all staying through?" I couldn't help but think about Ginny and worry about her being there. She seemed so sad when I had seen her the last time I was in the castle, and I was hoping to spend some time, alone, with her.

"They will all be coming here for New Year's, but that's it. The rest of the time he will be in the castle, with his friends," she stopped talking and dropped her head down onto her hands. "He's so upset about his being able to talk with snakes, and people were shying away from his before, I can only imagine what will happen now..." she stopped talking, and James got up to comfort his wife. She slid off her chair into his arms.

"Lily, he's a strong boy, and he's got good friends and he has us, he'll be fine," he whispered to her. I felt that they should have a minute alone with each other, so I turned my head to talk with Remus.

"What brought all of this about? I mean it's a Thursday, I somehow doubt a snake just slithered into the common room and Harry decided that he'd try to talk to it...damn it Sirius, he tried to tell us that he could talk to snakes when he was five," I said, remembering his strange behavior at the reptile house when he was little.

"What are you talking about" he asked me.

"You remember when we took him to the zoo, right after you got back from Greece?" I asked him and he nodded at me. _Those were not days that we talked about often, in fact, never. August 1985 had essentially been removed from our lives. _ "We were in the reptile house, and he told us this whole yarn about the, something, wanting to be left alone so that he could molt or something. I was so freaked out about having to be in the building that I wasn't really paying attention to him then, and we sort of just brushed him off, but it turns out he was telling us the truth,".

"Love, that was over 7 years ago, I'm impressed you remembered at all, the only thing I remember is being how well you took care of Harry. That's the day that I knew I wanted to have babies with you," he told me, bringing his hand to rest on my belly again, and nuzzling his lips to the side of my face.

"Aww," I said, leaning over to kiss him. I couldn't quite make it however, my belly got caught on the arm of the chair. "I can't believe I have three and a half more months of this. I swear, I will be as big as a house by then," I threw my arms up in frustration.

"James, Anwen and Sirius remember Harry being able talk to snakes as a child, so if that's true, then it's probably something that he was born with. That reduces the concern that this is some sort of spell that he's under or something like that," Remus said, and James nodded.

"Well, that's good news. Would we be able to tell if Harry had been put under a spell, or if he was somehow being controlled to make this thing happen, Anwen," James asked me.

"Unless it was some sort of really powerful spell, and he was under it when I went to check in on him, I doubt that I would see it. Most spells will leave a magical signature, but the magic of the person being cursed would mask it. I can try seeing if it's something that I can develop being able to do, but I'm not sure. Perenelle never talked about being able to do it, and if after 400 or so years of perfecting her skills, she can't, I don't think that it can be done. But, I can try," I told him. He nodded at me.

"All right, let's sum up what we know." Remus started. "Someone or more likely something has petrified a child at Hogwarts and it's threatening the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which may or may not exist. We haven't been able to read a magical signature on the scenes of the crimes, correct Anwen," he asked me and I nodded my head, "which has lead us to believe that it is some sort of mythical or magical creature that is responsible. We don't however know what this creature could be. Albus is working on a way to restore the boy, so we don't need to worry about that. But our newest wrinkle is that Harry is a parseltongue, and has been one since he was a small child. Am I missing anything?" He asked.

"Just some sleep, Moony." Sirius added.

"We all don't need quite as much beauty rest as you do there Padfoot," he retorted, and I was thankful to see that we could still joke with one another. "So what do we need to do now?"

"I'll keep working on beings or creatures that can petrify. Of course, it could simply be something that has been enchanted by a witch or wizard, and then we're back to square one," Sirius said.

"I'll see if I can improve my skills to see if someone is under a spell or curse. I'll go and see Perenelle when we get back from Canada as well," I said.

"I'm going to see what I can find out about these 'hidden rooms' in Hogwarts. We knew a lot when we made the map, but obviously, there were things that we didn't know. Albus has given me permission to go investigate the building. Feels like something that the Marauder's should do together," James said with a familiar glint in his eye, and I looked at my husband and the other third of their group and realized that they were all looking forward to reliving some of their glory days. Lily and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes, together.

"I'm going to continue with the research on the parseltongues of the past. The link back to Flint is good, and it does at least let us know that it would be possible for this to simply be a gift that was passed down," Remus said, and we all nodded.

"Well is there anything else that we need to discuss," James asked. Suddenly, something came to me.

"Yeah, how exactly did Harry figure out that he could talk with snakes, or maybe I should ask, how did everyone else," I wondered.

"There was dueling club tonight, and he had to duel Malfoy," James started telling the story. "That little git released a snake from his wand, which is a skill that a second year shouldn't know how to do," a shiver went down my spine at why that child might know how to create a magical snake, and I could feel the bile rise in my throat. Thankfully, James continued, "and it went after a student, but Harry talked it back from the kid. Snivelus finally dispatched the thing," James concluded. "Apparently everyone heard him, and Harry caused a great deal of panic among the other students there, and he was quite upset when he mirror called me. He never knew that it was a rare skill," he said quietly, clearly shaken that he didn't know this about his son.

"Well, at least they are teaching these kids to duel. I mean if it was Albus and Snively that are leading it, they will at least be skilled..." Remus started, but James interrupted him.

"Not Albus, Lockhart," he said. Sirius, Remus and I groaned. Lily already knew, but the look on their faces matched ours.

"Honestly, that guy wouldn't get through the entrance exams for the Auror program. I would love 60 seconds alone with him...what he wrote in Wanderings with Werewolves was simply a load of rubbish. He's a fraud, and the fact that he even puts his incorrect and stupid ideas forth..." I was getting angry. I had lived with a werewolf for much of my life, and he was completely wrong in what he had suggested in that sham of a book, the fact that he had made it required reading at Hogwarts was the worst though. The thought was making my blood boil.

"Anwen," Sirius said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "you need to calm down, love." I looked up at him, and saw the surprised look on his face.

"What?"

"You're glowing dear, you got so upset that you're glowing," I looked down to where my hands were resting on the table and they were indeed glowing yellow. I calmed myself down, surprised at the reaction I had just produced. "Well, we all know not to cross the pregnant lady."

"Winnie, thank you for your concern, but his attitude is that of most Wizarding folk as well. I stopped worrying about it a long time ago. I have a good life, and a good and rewarding job and a family that loves me, what more do I need?" he asked me. _ You need someone to love my dear friend._

We talked for a while longer, but the mood in the room had gotten thick. We were sure that what we didn't understand far outweighed what we did. There could be grave consequences for that. A funny thought did cross my mind however, and I decided that I would share it.

"Well, one good thing did come from all of this," I said, and everyone looked at me strangely. "Harry is finally better at a language than I am," I beamed. Even Sirius shook his head at me.

We said our goodnights, and decided that we would meet again on Monday, before Sirius and I portkeyed to Canada for the Christmas holiday. We would be back before New Year's. When we got back home, true to his word, my husband did indeed pick up on our activities, right where we had left off.

The next day, I found myself again in Dumbledore's study. There had been another attack, and he had again called me in to investigate. This was the third such attack since school had started, and another student had been petrified. To make matters worse, it was the student that the snake had gone after while the kids were dueling the day before. Rumors were now swirling that it was Harry's doing, and that Harry had in fact, sent the snake after the boy. Sirius was trying to talk with Harry in one corner of the room, while King and I were dealing with Albus.

"We can keep this as quiet as possible, but, it's going to be hard. Something is going to get out, especially since there will be paperwork filed now. We'll be the leads on this, but it's bound to hit the papers. I'm sorry, not just for you, but for Harry. The _Prophet_ will find a way to bring his name into it, I'm sure," I said, looking over to where Sirius was trying to calm down Harry. We hadn't called James and Lily yet, Harry just wanted to talk with his godfather, and since he hadn't done anything wrong, there was no need to notify them, just yet.

"Did you find anything to go on, Anwen, I mean Auror Hodgson-Black," he said correcting himself, I shot my old Headmaster a frustrated look. "I will always simply be Anwen to you, sir. I'm here as your friend and a member of the Order before I am here as an Auror," I told him, and he looked on me with that look of gratitude and kindness that disabled me so. "Anyway," I said, trying to push down the rush of tears that had come to my eyes, "I have nothing new to go on. There isn't a visible magical signature, and there is nothing left at the crimes to indicate who might be behind this. I took a sample of the blood, but given that there was another dead rooster, I would feel safe guessing that it will come back as poultry blood. Not really much to go on, though. We'll keep searching, I promise."

"After the first of the year, I'll be the lead on any further attacks. Anwen will be strictly on teaching duty, to keep her and that little Auror in there safe," I shook my head at my partner's overprotective nature. _Could I be surrounded by more overprotective, silly men?_ "But, if you were to happen to call her in to consult, as your friend, I would have no control over that, now would I," he added. Albus nodded his head in agreement. I smiled at them, my work here was done, King was going to fill out the paperwork at the office, and I would proof it and sign it. I walked over to my husband and his godson. They were standing by Fawkes, who was very small and obviously newborn. "Albus, I missed his burning day again. You forgot to call me, I could have sat here and read while I waited for his burning," I admonished my friend. I was quite interested in the process, and Albus had been promising me that I could come and see Fawkes burn for months now. _There is something spiritual about his death and renewal. _ I had become fascinated with mythical creatures since my patronus had changed. Fawkes was the only phoenix that I could study, thankfully, his Wizard and I were friends.

"I didn't think it would happen for a few days, but young Mr. Potter got to see it, didn't you Harry?" He said, and Harry grimaced at the words.

"Yeah, it was a great privilege, bloody hell scared me, figured that I wouldn't just be expelled, I'd be sent to Azkaban as well for killing the ruddy bird," Harry sighed, and Sirius put his arm around his shoulder. I was upset that I had missed the burning, and wanted to quiz Harry on what he had seen, but I was sure that he wouldn't appreciate it right now.

"You want to fire call your parents now? They'll want to know what's going on, and that you're okay," he told the young man.

"Can't you just tell them? I mean, Mum will throw a fit, and insist that I come home and Dad will get on my case about everything, and I just don't want to deal with them right now, please, for me," Harry begged his godfather. I knew Sirius was about to crack.

"Fine, you can mirror your Dad after supper, but you take the responsibility for not getting in touch with him sooner, don't lay it off on Professor Dumbledore or me, got that. Neither of us want to deal with your Mum when she gets her feathers up," Sirius said. Just then King flooed back to the Ministry, leaving us alone with Albus and Harry.

"Speaking of supper, how about if you stay and enjoy the repast in my private dining room with Harry and his friends. I am sure that you would like to avoid the Great Hall right now," Albus said, looking at Harry who nodded in agreement. "and I believe that both Miss Weasley and Miss Granger would be happy to see you Anwen, and the baby," his eyes drifting down to my swollen belly. I smiled at him.

"I would love to see them as well," I said, glad that I would have a chance to see Ginny. I had been really worried about her. She had stopped writing me all together. _ I hope that it's as Sirius said, that she's just gotten involved in school and with friends, and I am not that much fun to write to anymore, but there was something off about her the last time I was with her. It would be nice to spend just a little time alone with her._

"Splendid, why don't the three of you head down to the Dining Room. I believe you know where it is, Sirius, and I will have Minerva send over Mr and Miss Weasley and Miss Granger," he said, giving my husband that look that let me know that at some point while he was at Hogwarts, Sirius had been caught in there.

"Do I even want to know with whom you were with or what you were doing in there?" I questioned. He shook his head at me, and I pursed my lips and took a deep breath. _Don't think about it, it was a long time ago, just don't even think about it._

"Do I get to know," Harry asked, getting somewhat excited at the idea of learning of one of his godfather's stories. I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, um, when you're older, Harry. When you're much, much older," I shook my head at him, and he wrapped his arm around me. "You're the only one I want to sneak off and snog now dear," and he kissed my temple, while gently rubbing the baby.

"Good thing for you too, because the baby here might hex you if you get Mummy upset," I reminded him. I had gotten frustrated at him the other night, for something rather stupid, and we were both surprised when he suddenly knocked off his feet. I hadn't done anything, and we came to the conclusion, that it was Pup that had done it. It wasn't unusual for a baby's magic to show itself before birth, but it was still a little early in my pregnancy. The Healer had let me know that it was most likely due to the strength of our combined magic coursing through me, that the baby was able to tap into theirs already.

We made our way down to the Headmaster's Dining Hall, and Sirius let us in. It was a beautifully appointed room that had a fine dining table in the middle of the room, with a great candelabra over the table. It flamed to life as we entered. Around the edge of the room there were several small couches and comfortable chairs. I was relieved to see them, and without any urging, I went and sat down on one. A small pouf appeared at my feet, and I gently rested my now swelling feet on the small stool.

Harry and Sirius were still standing near the table, chatting, and as best as I could tell, it had something to do with Quidditch. I closed my eyes, and I probably would have fallen asleep, except that the girls and Ron entered the room. Ron went over to talk with the guys, and immediately the girls were at my side. I stood up to greet them.

"Professor Dumbledore went to talk with the house elves about our needs, and he said that he would join us in a few minutes," Hermione said. It was clear that this girl would take charge of just about any situation. I smiled at her. _She might have a chance of keeping Ron and Harry in line, but I doubted it._

"Aunt Winnie, I am so happy to see you," Ginny said, coming and wrapping her arms around me. I held her to me, and then pulled back to get a good look at her. She looked ghastly. Her eyes were deeply sunk into her face, and she was as pale as a sheet. Even her beautiful freckles had faded to a dull copper color, rather than their bright brown. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, but it was messy, and I wasn't sure if she had even washed it recently. She felt small and weak in my arms. I pulled her to me again, and looked over at my husband, and sent him a wave of concern. He looked at me, and nodded his head. He knew that Ginny's state had been something that had kept me awake almost as much as the baby's kicking.

"I am so very happy to see you too child. And, so is Pup. Here, put your hand here, you can feel Pup kick. Must know that it's you here. You gave this baby their first name, after all," I told her, positioning her hand to where I had felt the kick a moment ago. When her little hand was opened, she was rewarded with a good swift kick knocked at her hand. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey there little Pup, hope you're not giving your Mummy too much trouble," she said, cooing at my belly. I was so thankful that the spark of happiness was back in her eyes. She stood there, moving her hand across the baby for a few minutes, marveling as we could watch something move across the surface.

"Would you mind if I felt," Hermione piped up, and Ginny stepped aside.

"Of course dear, come here and put your hand up here," I said, helping her get her hand in place. A moment later, Pup tapped on her hand as well. "That's amazing, does it hurt," she asked me.

"No dear, it's a little uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt," I said exhaling. "Would you girls mind if we were to sit down, my feet are killing me," I told them, and we settled down on a couch. I sat in the middle, and each of the girls sat on either side of me, their hands still resting on my belly. A few minutes later, the guys came over and joined us, sitting on the love seat across from us. Sirius knelt down behind the couch, his hands on my shoulders.

"Little one giving you problems today," he asked, using his fingers to knead the knots that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in my shoulders.

"Not really, the girls are just getting a kick out of feeling Pup kick," I told him.

"Pup," Harry asked.

"I thought that we needed something other than 'it' to call the baby. Ginny came up with the name, Pup. I for one, like it a lot," he said, grabbing her ponytail and pulling on it. She actually smiled up at him. _Maybe it's all in your head Anwen, maybe she is all right._

"That is the dumbest name I've ever heard," Ron complained.

"Shut up Ron, it's not up to you. Aunt Winnie asked me, and they like it," Ginny retorted.

"Yeah, well she was probably just trying to make you feel better, since it's a dumb name..." he threw back. They were both getting their dander up, and thankfully Sirius put an end to it.

"Okay you two, knock it off. Ron, we like the name, Ginny, don't let your brother get to you," he said. I smiled at him. The kids all seemed to calm down enough that we were able to carry on a civilized conversation. Ginny seemed to shrink back into herself, saying little and eating even less when Dumbledore arrived and the meal started shortly thereafter.

When we were done with dinner, Sirius walked with Harry, Ron and Hermione back to the Gryffindor tower to go and get his mirror to call his Dad and let him know what had happened. Sirius had no intention of letting James know that he was there, but he figured that he could support his godson while he made the call. Ginny and I sat back down on the couch. She had tucked her legs up underneath herself and had laid her head on her knees.

"Ginny, sweetheart, what's wrong," I asked her.

"It's just...school isn't what I expected, I'm not doing well in my classes, and I feel like I'm stupid," she said glumly. She looked off into the wall, and I could tell that there was something really bothering her. I kept my mouth shut, and just looked at her. "I don't have any friends, and even my brothers are mean...and then, there is this, thing..." she was just quiet.

"Ginny, honey, don't stay here for Christmas. Let me talk with your Mum. Come home with Uncle Sirius and I and then go to Canada with us. I think you need to get out of the castle for a while. We can work on your school work, and see about making you feel better about your studies. You're a smart girl, with a brilliant mind; I think you've just convinced yourself that you can't do this. Plus, you'll get to see my sister, Eira, and you liked her last spring. You could have a pen pal. How cool would that be," I asked.

"It would be good, I guess. But, I don't know. I think I should just stay here. I don't want to get in your way..." she said.

"You wouldn't be. My Ma has all this baby stuff that I need to go through, and I can't even put my own shoes on anymore, there is no way that I can go through boxes of stuff, trying to figure out what is worth keeping and what's not," I told her, she seemed to perk up when I told her that she'd be helping.

"I wouldn't be a bother, I always seem to be in someone's way lately. Like people have to be nice to me, out of duty or something..." she trailed off again, and I could see tears in her eyes. I scooted across the couch and put my arm around her.

"Ginny, being with you is not a duty, it's an honor. Whoever has filled your head with this nonsense is an idiot. You are never a bother to Sirius and I, I promise you," I told her, and she looked up at me hopefully.

"And I wouldn't be putting your Mum and Dad out," she asked me.

"Of course not, they run a Bed and Breakfast, the more the merrier. I'll call her on the telephone tomorrow to talk with her about it. Come now, tell me that you'll come home with us, please," I asked her again.

"Well, if you're sure..." she said hesitantly.

"Of course I'm sure. Sirius will be pleased too. He says you're much better at Chess than I am, so he will have someone to play. I'll floo over and see your Mum and get everything straightened out. Leave Molly and Arthur to me. We will have so much fun, you'll see. A few weeks away from the castle is all that you'll need, I promise. You can come back for the new term with a whole new attitude," I took her into my arms, and she started crying. _This isn't at all like her, she's such a strong girl, what has her so upset. I've seen her put her older brothers into her place, and now, she seems so weak. _"There, there now. Shh, it's okay." I rocked her back and forth for a while, and she just sat there sobbing. I was afraid to ask her what was wrong, but knew that we would have time over the break. Sirius came back, and found Ginny still clinging to me. He wasn't sure what to do, and silently asked me if he should leave. I shook my head at him.

"Ginny, Sirius is back, should we tell him the good news," I asked her, pulling away from her slightly, so that she could bring herself to a full sitting position. She nodded at me, wiping her eyes. "Ginny is going to be coming with us for winter break. I'll go and speak with Molly and get everything straightened out, but I really need her help while we are away, and she has graciously offered it. Isn't that wonderful, dear?" I asked him.

"Of course it is. Ginny, why don't you use the purple bedroom on the second floor. I away thought that it was a little too girly, but now I think that it was just made for you," Sirius said, and she smiled at him. "All right, well, you need to get back to the tower before curfew, and we need to speak with Minerva and then your parents. Anwen, love, should we be off," he asked me, and I nodded.

We walked Ginny back to the tower, and told her that we would see her at King's Cross in a few days. The ride home from Hogwarts would be my last active duty shift until after my maternity leave. We went and saw Minerva, and she was thrilled that Ginny wouldn't be staying here over break. Her Head of House was also concerned about the changes that she had seen in Ginny as of late. We finally flooed over to the Burrow, and after a lengthly conversation, Molly and Arthur agreed that Ginny could spend the break with Sirius and I. It wasn't that they didn't want her with us, but rather, they were afraid that we were spoiling her. I assured her that we would keep the spoiling to a minimum.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: You don't have to think very hard on what will happen in this chapter, based on the title. Yes, Sirius becomes a father in this chapter...who'd have thunk it. The song for this chapter is "When you dream" by the Barenaked Ladies. If you don't own the album "Stunt!" by them, then please find the song on YouTube and listen to it. It fits here perfectly, and I played it over and over while writing this chapter. Both my silent writing partner and my husband helped to inspire this chapter by telling me what they felt when they first became fathers. I don't own this world, but I hope that if JKR ever stumbled upon my story, she'd be okay with what I've done to these characters lives. Thanks for reading, and I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it. Mutt**

**Chapter 10:**

**And Baby Makes Three**

**Anwen POV:**

I sat on a couch in Lily's sitting room with Lily and Tonks. Everyone else had left, and we were relaxing. Lily had thrown me my baby shower this afternoon, and while it had been a great deal of fun, I was exhausted. I caught myself in a yawn, and Tonks laughed at me.

"Wotcher, Winnie. You need a nap there old lady?" she asked me. I shook my head at her.

"Yeah, when you're 7 ½ months pregnant, you can tell me about being tired. I can't get comfortable at night no matter how hard I try, and then when I do fall asleep, Pup is lying on my bladder and I need to get up and use the loo, I haven't slept well in weeks, and I know enough to realize that I won't sleep once this baby is here," I sighed. Lily nodded in understanding.

"We'll all help you there, Winnie. I think that Molly Weasley is itching to get her hands on your child. She offered to babysit whenever you want, translation, she had better get some time with the baby, or she will pitch a Molly-fit," Lily reminded me, and it made me smile.

"I am sure that Sirius and I will take her up on her offer. I'm just overwhelmed at everything that we got today, really, all of you were too generous," I said, looking over at the pile of boxes and gifts waiting for Sirius to come and retrieve them, and me. Lily had invited many of our school friends; Katie and Corinne, my dorm mates; Maggie, Bree and Bette, some of our team mates from our Quidditch days; Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Babbling and Madame Pomfrey had brought Ginny and Hermione over with them to the Manor so that they could share in the party. Andromeda had come with Tonks, although she had left already, Ted was home with the flu and Molly had been here as well. From the Ministry, Lily had invited Amelia Bones, who was still dating King – they seemed happy with their relationship just as it was, but I doubt that they will ever get married, as well as Edie, my old assistant. She was now working in the Wizengamot office, and we still got together to talk about things once a week. My mother had thrown a shower for me while we were in Canada with my sisters and Anelle duChamp, so Ginny was the only person, other than me, to be able to be at both.

"Honestly, this baby is going to be better dressed than some of the runway models in Paris. I love the crib, it really is so lovely, and the fact that James and Remus made it," I said getting choked up, knowing that my husband's best mates had crafted the crib our child would sleep in and then burned images of a wolf, dog and deer running through the forest on the headboard; well it made me cry. I looked over at it again, covered by a sheet so that we could surprise Sirius with it, feeling foolish for how my emotions were getting away with me. "I'm sorry, I'm just so happy..." I said, losing my ability to speak again.

"It's okay, those pregnancy hormones can be a bear. The guys wanted to do this for the two of you. The Marauders will whisk the baby off to dreamy adventures," Lily said, her eyes getting teary as well.

"I don't know about you old ladies, if that's what happens when you get to be your age, I'll stay young, thanks so much," Tonks said, and I couldn't help but laugh at her. "We're not that old, we've just matured quickly," I retorted. She had been spending more time with us, asking to tag along when she knew that I would be coming over to spend time with 'the family'. I was happy to have her, she often lightened the mood, and helped me get out of my chair when I was stuck. We had to be careful about how close we appeared at work and in classes, I didn't want anyone suggesting that I was letting her slide on her coursework because of our relationship.

"So, who is going to cover your classes while you're on leave?" Lily asked me.

"Minerva is going to come down one afternoon a week to teach Concealment and Disguise and then Moody will supervise the practical sessions of the class. Amelia Bones is gong to teach my two law segments for me as well. I think that they should be fair and keep the standards up, since I will miss the end of term examinations. Evidence Handling is being done as a project, and they will turn them in while I am on leave, and I'll grade at home. I will be off for the whole summer term, and then return in the fall. I'm off of active duty until at least the fall, maybe longer. Instead, when I go back into the office, I will just be the chief investigator; only get called out when the scene is clear. It's a fair compromise, and it keeps Moody and King off my back about putting myself at risk," I mumbled. _I don't see how this is going to work however, since they have cut the shifts again. We are supposed to do more, with fewer people. They were even pulling people from guard duty at Azkaban. Fudge is an idiot, all in the name of saving money._

"The girls seemed to have a good time while they were here," Lily said, referring to Ginny and Hermione. They did have a good time, and it was great to see Ginny back to her usual, bright self. She had made a remarkable turn around once we were back in Canada, and within a few days, reminded me of the girl who threw herself into her studies last year. Her mood seemed to continue once we were back home, and each time that I had been up to the school, she continued to be her old self. _All she needed was a boost to her confidence, and a vacation from all of those pesky older brothers of hers._

Sirius appeared, and I showed him all of the wonderful gifts that we had gotten for the baby. He, James and Remus had gone out for the afternoon, to a Muggle movie of all things. Some movie about an American comic book character. _I swear, they are still boys and always will be. I always thought the only reason my husband liked movies was so that he could make out with me in a public place._ I showed him many of the sweet clothes that we had gotten, as well as a very tiny, Molly Weasley made sweater for the baby to wear home from hospital, causing Sirius to smile at the little lion cub on the front. Ginny and Hermione had made the baby a quilt with some help from the other girls in the Gryffindor dorm, all in golds and reds. Katie and Corinne had gotten me nursing tops and a breast pump, and Sirius quickly put it back into the box when he realized what he was holding.

"You do know, that watching you attach that thing, is going to ruin all of my fun, love," he said, blushing at me. _I don't know when I have ever seen him blush. Breast feeding is what makes him embarrassed? Really?_ I was laughing so hard at him, I thought that I was going fall off the chair.

"If it's that disturbing, I'll use magic to fill the bottles," I promised, which made him happier.

I had Tonks uncover the crib, and Sirius was gobsmacked and speechless. His fingers traced over the etching on the head of the crib and I could have sworn that there were tears in his eyes as he embraced his two best friends. They had come so far in the over twenty years that they had known each other, each one needing what the other two brought to their friendship. Lily and I looked over at them, and we were holding onto each other and crying as well. "Guys, it's...amazing. How can we thank you?" he uttered, still in awe of crib. They said nothing, just smiled at their friend.

"Love, open that box there, and see what Lily made to go with it," I told him, and he lifted the large box and found the linens for the crib inside; white, with a beautiful griffin on the front of the comforter.

"Lil, it's beautiful. Thank you," he said, going over to hug her.

"I made it white because the two of you refuse to tell us what you're having," she scolded while she returned the embrace.

"That's because we don't know, and we won't know until Pup gets here," he explained as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. "All three of you...thanks...um..." my husband said. I had never known him to be at a loss for words.

"Sirius, darling, this is what families do for each other," I told him, and he hugged me close, hiding his face in my hair. This completely uncharacteristic show of emotion from my husband was almost more than I could take. I was full of love for him, so much so that I felt I thought I would burst.

"Don't you want to know what I got for your wife and your little quaffle there?" his cousin asked. Sirius looked up, and looked at me, and then looked at his younger cousin.

"I don't know, do I?" he said, looking back at me. I nodded at him, and then he looked at her and said, "Sure, what did you get for them, TONKS," finally getting the young woman's name right, after being hexed 6 times since Christmas for calling her Dora to her face.

"Pup's very first broom," she said excitedly. She pulled the very small broom from the box. It wasn't one that the baby could fly on, but instead an enchanted mobile, with a quaffle, two bludgers, two beater bats and a snitch swirling around it. We all laughed.

"I am not letting you teach the baby to fly," he told her. "You are far too risky a flyer. You make Anwen look like she's just out for a nice fly in the park." I slapped him lightly on the chest for the comment, then I yawned again. "I think that I need to get my wife home, and to bed," he said.

"I think that's how she ended up pregnant," Tonks quipped back and I blushed at the comment.

Sirius started shrinking all the items, with the help of James, Tonks and Remus, and together they took everything over to Grimmauld Place. While they were gone, Lily came to sit next to me.

"He's still as amorous as ever?" she asked, and I nodded at her. "Lucky you. He does know that you can't, for like, a month afterwards. Even if you take all the potions and sit in the baths and such. It's a lot for your body to recover from, right?" she queried.

"I don't think he was listening when the Healer told him that at our last appointment. I figure at this point, I will just let him find out on his own," I told her, and she laughed at me. "Six more weeks, Lil. I've only got six more weeks. I'm glad things have quieted down up at Hogwarts. I don't think that I could be running up and back like I was for a while there last fall. Good to see Hermione out of hospital as well. Did you ever get a straight answer out of Harry about what was wrong with her?" I asked her.

"The best answer that he was able to give us was that there was some sort of an accident with a cat. I don't know anything further, but she was sequestered for several weeks. She seemed just fine today though. Apparently, she got so far ahead in a few of her classes, that she has been asked by her professors to stop studying and reading ahead. She's making it too hard for her fellow classmates to learn." We laughed at the idea of telling a student to stop learning.

Everyone returned, and Sirius helped me up. I was getting very unsteady on my feet. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him as close as I could get to him, and gave him a big kiss. "Thank you for marrying me and making me preggers, love," I told him, smiling happily.

"Remember this moment, because in a few weeks, she is going to want to curse you for it," James said, and Lily shot him one of her glances. The rest of us knew it was time for us to leave.

**Sirius POV:**

"Yes, I do believe that it worked this time," she said, gripping the sheets between her hands. "Mark the time, and," she stopped talking to take a deep breath. "measure until the next one," she ordered me. I tapped the correct dial on my pocket watch with my wand, and then went back to being enthralled with her. We were still sitting in our bedroom, not really dressed. Her bag was packed by the door. She was calm, I was a mess.

"You look like you're going to vomit there love. Do you need to go to the loo?" She asked me. _How can she be concerned about me at a time like this?_ I shook my head at her, and she smiled that soft, gentle smile that made my heart melt. The one where her lips curled up at the edges, and her eyes are dancing; the one that spoke volumes to me across a crowded room, and was always followed with a burst of love that filled every inch of me. "Are you going to make it? It could be a long day, love," she said, taking my hand in her small ones.

"I just don't know how you are so calm? Are you in pain? Should we be leaving?" I asked her. Her hands came up to my face, and I had forgotten just how wonderful her hands felt against me. To her delight and great pleasure, I had shaved off my beard and trimmed back my mustache a few days ago, as well as trim my hair back to just beyond the collar of my shirt. _Told her that since I was going to be a father, I needed to look more respectable. The look of excitement on her face when she saw me was priceless._

"I have to wait until they are only 10 minutes apart. We were at 12 the last time I checked. That's why we have the stop watch. And as for being calm, Perenelle reminded me to remain centered and in control early on, so that I can keep the magic from getting out of control, and needing to have my magic obliged while I deliver. She has faith that I can do this without lots of potions and spells, because of the strength of my visualization skills, I want to prove her right...it may be the last lesson that she will be able to impart. She didn't look at all well when I saw her last. She is very lonely without Nicolas as well," she sighed, her gentle hands again caressing my newly exposed face. "I know how she feels there, love, I would be so very lost without you," she sighed before pulling me toward her to kiss her again. As our lips met, and then I felt her tense.

"Are you all right?"

"Uh, huh," she said, while nodding. "How long was tha?," she asked, her eyes still closed, trying to regulate her breathing.

"8 minutes and 48 seconds," I told her. She shook her head at me. "Okay, our activities last night did indeed do what they were supposed to," she said, opening her eyes and giving me a rather wicked smile. _Okay, so we had both enjoyed ourselves last night, not really a big surprise there Anwen._ "Go and get yourself dressed, I am going to Patronus Lily and get myself into something we can floo over in," she said calmly. I scrambled to get off the bed, and fell off. I could hear Anwen laughing at me as I lay on the floor. "Are you okay," she asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little nervous. We're about to have a baby," I announced.

"I am well aware of that fact. Go on, put something comfortable on, and then bring me the dress that's hanging in the bathroom, please, and those awful brown shoes. They're the only ones that I can get onto my feet anymore," she said, gently scooting herself to the edge of the bed. I got up off the floor and bent over and gently kissed her.

I went to my closet and pulled out an old pair of jeans and a Broken Broomsticks tee shirt and hooded sweatshirt. Then I looked at myself, and realized that I looked much like I did when I left Hogwarts, same damned clothes. _You're about to become a father, man, look a little more respectable. _I took off the tee shirt and sweatshirt and thew them on the floor and picked out a gray polo shirt and then threw a navy sweater over the top. _Better, I guess. Damn, I've actually become and adult. When did that happen? _ I stood there, looking at myself in the mirror, wondering when in the last 10 years it was, that I finally decided that I was an adult. _Was it while I was in Greece, or once we were married? _I couldn't help but stare at myself and feel a wave of shock float over me as I looked at the face staring back at me. Something had changed, I had changed. I could still see the face of the fourteen year old who barged into Lily Evans compartment on the train and saw the face of the girl who would change my life; but it had been replaced with the face of a man – a man who was about to become a father. I felt my hands go to my face, tracing along the faint lines that were there, there weren't many, but all that we had seen and done had left its mark on my face.

My fingers ran along the faint scar that I had received playing Quidditch my third year, the one knit into my eyebrow. There was another small scar, in the cleft of my chin from the firefight that James and I had gotten into when we were on our way back from Bulgaria, but all of those things seemed so long ago. I was transfixed by the man that stood before me, where I was sure that a boy had stood only the day before.

"Sirius, did you pass out in there?" Anwen's voice floated in and I shook myself back to reality.

"No, sorry. Be right there," I told her, and went and got the dress from the bathroom door, and returned to my wife. She was still sitting on the edge of the bed, and I went to her and helped her down off the enormous mattress and frame. She stripped off the tee shirt she had been sleeping in, and slid the dress over her shoulders. It caught momentarily on her very pronounced belly, but she shimmied it down over herself. I summoned her shoes, and helped her pick up her feet and slide them in. "Ready"?

"Yes. Oh shoot, there's another one," she said, taking deep deliberate breaths. "We need to get a move on. I've already let Lily know, and I triggered the notification charm so that St. Mungo's and Healer Wickman will be ready when we arrive." I put my arm around her waist and helped her to the door. "Sirius, don't forget the bag," she reminded me as we exited the room, and I went back to get it. We were downstairs and flooed to the hospital in no time.

The medi-witch took us to a room that looked very similar to the one that Lily had delivered Evan in a few years ago. Anwen had to get into a gown, and they did some charms on her, to check on the baby. She smiled patiently as they did them.

"Strong heartbeat, and the magic is very strong as well. That baby's about ready to meet both of ya," the medi-witch said, her voice cheerful and upbeat, with a faint Irish accent. She took Anwen by the hand. "Now dearie, it says here that you don't want any pain potions or blocking spells. Are ya certain? We can give some potions later on, if ya change yer mind, but the spells need to be cast in a certain time frame," she explained.

Anwen looked at the graying woman and smiled at her. "I'm sure. I'm a visualist, and I think that I should be able to do this using just my magic. I understand that it's easier to recover if I do," Anwen explained, and the medi-witch looked surprised.

"Well, I should think that ya would be able to, congratulations dear, this won't take long at all. Most witches I tell 'em to take all the help they can get, you, you're carrying your help with ya. If ya need anything, give a holler, name is Patience. I know, perfect name for this job. I haven't ever seen a visualist give birth, I'm looking forward to helping ya," she said to Anwen, and then she looked at me, "Ya take care of your wife there, she's a special one."

"Don't I know it. I will, ma'am, don't worry," I said, coming to sit on the bed next to Anwen. She took my hand and kissed it, and I was struck again about just how calm she was.

"Yer Healer will be in to see ya in a few. Just work on yer point work, and it will make everything come faster. Oh, and ya have some guests out here, do ya want to see them?" she asked. Anwen nodded at her. Patience left, and Lily, James and Remus filed in.

Lily came and sat on the other side of the bed with Anwen, the guys sat in the chairs at the foot of the bed. Anwen was smiling at them.

"Is she still normal, or has she lost it?" James said, clearly expecting my wife to be the dithering mess his wife had been.

"I'm fine James. This will be very different for me. Being a visualist makes childbirth easier," she said, then turned to look at Lily. "Sorry about this, but it's sort of the flip side of the headaches that the long distance projecting and shielding give me, the pain of giving birth will be less, because I can move the process along." She was trying to explain it, but the looks on everyone's faces made it obvious that it wasn't working. "Look, as long as my body is ready, I can visualize myself taking the next step. I just have to remain as calm as possible, because it's also possible to overload my magic, and make a mess of things. Accidental magic and all. The fact that I can draw on Sirius' magic, well, it could be very...explosive. Perenelle and I have been working very hard on this, and I think that I should be..." she stopped talking again, closed her eyes and was breathing deeply.

"Another one?" I asked and she nodded, and continued to breathe. Everyone was quiet, watching my little witch remain calm, clearly working on an image in her head. When she opened her eyes, she had a smile on her lips.

"That wasn't so bad," she said, looking over at me. "I'm doing this right, aren't I?" Anwen wondered, somehow worried.

I leaned over and kissed her head. "You're doing this perfectly, love. Perenelle will be proud of you," I told her, knowing that she wanted to make her friend and mentor proud.

"Will she be here today?" Lily asked and Anwen responded with a shake of her head. "She's just too weak. I hope that we will be able to go and visit her once the baby is born. I think she may just be holding on to meet little Pup here; she is so very ready to go on to whatever is next. As Albus says, it's the next great adventure." She tried to smile, but I could tell that she would miss Perenelle's company, as well as her knowledge.

Anwen and Lily put their heads together in conversation, and I figured that it wasn't something that I wanted to hear, so I decided to talk with James about the warding project. I monitored when Anwen would stop talking, and breathe deeply, knowing that she was having another contraction. They were coming faster now, just under 6 minutes. We were talking for a while, when Lily's voice brought me back to the conversation she was having with my wife. I didn't turn my head, but I needed to listen.

"...you're telling me that you triggered labor, by...last night? You're nine months pregnant, he couldn't keep it in his pants?" Lily sounded indignant as she was talking to Anwen. Winnie's chiming laughter rang in the room.

"Lily, it wasn't his pants that were the issue," she said, sounding embarrassed. "I feel everything that he feels, sometimes, emotions loop over on themselves, and then they grow and well, if we don't act on them, they can get..." I wanted to see how she was going to word this, "...distracting." She started to laugh again. Lily joined her, and I couldn't help but chuckle too but stopped when Winnie suddenly proclaimed, "Oh!".

"Are you all right?" Lily asked her. Anwen nodded, but waved her finger at the guys and said, "They might want to leave though," she said loudly, then added something that only Lily could hear.

Lily nodded and went over to tell her husband that it was time for them to go out and wait. When they'd left, Lily let me know that Anwen's water had broken. She then summoned the medi-witch, so that Anwen could get cleaned up. The closer the contractions got, the quieter my wife got. She was working harder and harder to contain the magic, and suppress the pain that she was feeling. She continued to focus between them, taking strength from simply holding my hand._ It is amazing to witness this. She's working so hard to bring our little baby into the world._ We knew she was getting close, when she accidentally made the baby's magic appear. It was a soft green, like new leaves on the ash trees that grew in the yard at Grimmauld. When the contraction was over, she threw her head back on the pillow, and closed her eyes.

"Sirius, I am so tired," she complained. I put my hands on her face, and stroked her cheeks.

"I know you are, it's got to be so hard for you, but we are almost there. You've done it, you've made it this far without having to oblige your magic. You can do it, you're so very strong. Come on love, our little baby wants to see their Mummy," I told her, hoping to give her the strength that she needed. Her hair was plastered with sweat to her head, and she was still breathing heavily. I bathed her in my love and admiration, and she opened her eyes and gently smiled at me.

Patience and Healer Wickman were with us, and the contractions were just over a minute apart now. Lily was trying to wipe her head with a cloth when the next one started. Anwen sat up, and focused her attention on a spot on the wall on the other side of the room. She was so silent, but her face was contorted in pain.

"Anwen, yer doing beautiful, dearie. That baby is crowning, and it wants to be born. Come on, keep it up," Patience told her, sounding as cheerful as Molly Weasley. Anwen fell backwards again, panting, tears rolling down her face.

"We are nearly done, one or two more, and then this baby will be here. The heartbeat is still strong, and the magic is nearly off the charts. Just work on containing the magic, your body will do the rest at this point," Healer Wickman told us, and Anwen tried to nod.

"Anwen, Winnie my love, it's almost over. I love you so much, come on now, let's get this over with. You can rest when it's done," I promised her. She sat up again, and Lily and I helped her. The silence of the room was broken with the scream of our baby. Anwen fell backwards onto the pillows, breathing heavily, crying. I kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, but I wanted to see our child.

"Congratulations, it's a boy!" The healer pronounced, and I looked at Anwen. She was smiling and crying, and clearly spent.

"Oh, blessings to ya both. A boy. Do ya have a name?" Patience asked, and I looked at Anwen.

"I need to see him first, but I think we do," she said between her pants for breath.

"Just a minute here, let's just get him cleaned up a little," Patience said, watching the Healer inspecting the baby. "He looks good and strong," she said looking up, and I smiled at her. _ A son, I have a son. I'm a dad._ The room felt like it was moving in slow motion. She had quickly cleaned up the baby, and he was soon wrapped in a soft blue blanket and in my arms. _He's beautiful._ _I can't even describe what I'm feeling. This is my child, my son. I want to hold you and protect you and keep you safe. I feel like a Lion that is ready to strike anyone who might hurt my boy._ I would have stood there, staring at him, except that I heard Anwen's voice.

"Sirius, can I see our son, please?" she asked. _How could I have been so stupid, of course she wants to see the baby._

"Here, love, meet our baby," I said, gently lying him down in her arms. Lily had helped her get cleaned up a little, and had fluffed the pillows behind her so that she could sit up better. Anwen started weeping when she looked at him.

"Oh, Sirius, he's beautiful. It's the right name, I know it is," she said, sniffling. I leaned down and kissed her, and then kissed Ethan's head.

"Ladies, meet our son, Ethan Seren Black, it means a strong star," I told them. Lily was openly crying now, nodding her head, she alone understood the significance. Healer Wickman looked up from where she was still working on cleaning Anwen up and nodded her head. Patience clapped her hands together and smiled. "Wonderful name, dearies, wonderful name. Now we need to check his vitals and get a baseline on his magic, and then I'll give him back to ya, honey. He will need to eat a little, I'll show you how it's done, all right?" she said, taking Ethan back from Anwen's arm. I watched as her eyes followed our son, not wanting to let him out of her sight.

"Winnie, oh my Winnie, you did so well. I am so proud of you. He's perfect, you did that. I love you," I told her, and I went to kiss her.

"Mrs. Black, you look very good, your body should recover nicely, your magic has been drained down significantly. You need to avoid using any magic for at least two days to help it recover, but you really shouldn't be doing anything for the next week. I'm going to leave you alone now, but I'll be back to check on you in a while. Congratulations again, you did amazingly well. Your control and centering are very impressive," the Healer told us, and then walked out of the room. I could hear Moony and Prongs cheer as she left, knowing that the baby was here, and that all was fine. Patience brought Ethan back over to us, and she showed Anwen how to help him latch on to feed.

"I can see that he's in good hands here. I'll have some strengthening potions for you to take in a while, as well as something to help your body relax. None of it will affect yer little one there, so don't ya worry none about it. If ya need me, ya know how to summon me. Congratulations to the happy family. Ya done smashingly here dearie," she said, and then went to leave. I don't think I have ever seen anything as compelling as watching my wife hold my son as he fed. Her gentle hand was stroking his cheek, her soft voice humming to him as she held him. _ I have no idea what heaven was like, but I suspected that it felt like this moment._

When Ethan was done eating, I took him back into my arms, and went out to see my mates. They were waiting in the hall, and Lily had also sent her Patronus up to school, to let Albus know that he could bring Minerva and the kids down when they were ready. These few moments alone gave Lily the chance to help Anwen get cleaned up and changed.

I went out into the hall, and they both stood to greet me, smiling brightly.

"Guys, this is Ethan Seren Black, the newest Marauder. Ethan, these are your uncles, James and Remus." I was still beaming when I looked down at the little brown haired boy. He was alert and looking around, and when his eyes, the color of a robin's egg, met mine, I thought that the world would stop.

"How did you ever put Harry down, Prongs? I can't imagine ever letting go of him," I gushed, and smiled down at my new son.

"I don't think I did for a few weeks. Amazing, isn't he? There was a point when I was sure that we would never see this day. Figured that you would forever be the happy playboy, running away from responsibility forever," Prongs teased me, but I didn't care. I just stood there looking at Ethan.

"And then, there was Anwen..." I mumbled.

They laughed, and said something else, but I had no idea what it was. I was lost in my son. There was a commotion down the hall and I saw the party from Hogwarts arriving. Harry ran forward, followed closely by Ginny.

"Uncle Sirius, is it a boy or a girl?" Harry asked.

"It's a boy Harry, Ethan Seren Black," I told them as I held the baby down so that the youngsters could see him, "His name means strong star, your Aunt Anwen came up with the name."

"He's so beautiful Uncle Sirius. Can I go and see Aunt Winnie?" Ginny asked. I nodded at her and she slipped into the room. I showed the baby to Hermione, Ron, Minerva and Albus, and they all gushed over him. I asked Albus to come see Anwen, and he and I entered into the room.

I gave our son back to my wife, and her face lit up when she saw him. Lily had helped her change her clothes and get cleaned up, and there was a luminescent quality to her that drew me to her side. The love radiating off of her was extraordinary. Ginny was nestled up against Winnie on the far side of the bed, staring down at the little boy. I sat down on the other side of my wife, and wrapped a protective arm around my family.

"Albus, there is something that we would like to ask you. Would you be willing to be Ethan's godfather? Sirius and I have discussed this, and you are the person that we would like to have stand with us at his baptism. You are my dearest teacher, and a close friend, I am who I am, because you pushed me and challenged me and you believed in me. If you hadn't come and told me I was a witch all those years ago, we wouldn't be here. You're indirectly responsible for our family. Please, Albus, please say you will do it?" Anwen asked, her face glowing, but her eyes again wet with tears.

"I agree with her, and I wouldn't try to go against her. I have learned that when Winnie wants something, Winnie gets it," I told him smiling, and my wife looked up at me with a surprised look on her face. Albus nodded at me, understanding that it is a wise man who learns to know his wife.

"Anwen, Sirius, I would be honored and humbled to be the godfather to your son. In all the gifts you have given to me over the years, this may be the greatest. Thank you for asking me," he said, his face happy.

The time wore on, and soon Anwen had fallen asleep holding the baby. James, Lily and Remus had taken the kids and professors out and gone to get something to eat, they said they would bring me back a plate; I couldn't leave my family. I don't know how long we were alone there, but it was peaceful and perfect. There was a commotion in the hallway, and I went to see what was going on.

"Harry, why do you have it? Throw it away, please!" Ginny was screaming at Harry, who looked shocked at her diatribe.

"It's an empty book Ginny, stop being so barmy," Ron yelled at her. I stepped out into the hall.

"Will all of you keep your voices down, Winnie and Ethan have fallen asleep. Where are your Professors?" I asked them, they all looked down at the floor.

"They've gone to check on something. They said they would be right back, and then these two start yelling over some old diary that Harry found," Hermione explained to me.

"Very well, what ever it is with that old book, keep it to yourselves until you are back at school. If you were to wake them, I would be very upset. They need their rest," I scolded them, and while Harry looked embarrassed, Ginny seemed to be terrorized with fear. I was about to ask her what it was, but then Albus and Minerva returned, and said that it was time for them to return. I bade them all goodbye, and went into the room to find my wife and child still asleep. I sat down in the chair across from them, and watched with rapt attention as they slumbered. Anwen had curled her small frame around Ethan, covering him and protecting him, it was so very beautiful, and it made her all that more beloved to me.

Anwen had awoken once, and she had again fed and changed Ethan and sat and stared at him in wonderment. Patience brought her the potions she was to take, and once she had drunk them down, we were alone, and talking in hushed tones, until her eyes became heavy and she again had fallen asleep. She was curled around Ethan, and I was curled around her. We were all nestled together on the small hospital bed, but it was the most comfortable, wonderful place I had ever been. _ I have a family, my own family._


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hello friends, and here's a new chapter, thanks in great part to my fabulous editor, Peter. I feel blessed that I get to toot his horn here, as he has begun posting his most awesome story, The Hogs Head, here on . Please, please take time to go and find the story and start reading it, for it is simply amazing. He's editing very quickly, so you're getting chapters very quickly. Songs for this chapter are: "Brand New Baby" by Tom Paxton and "Sway" by Michael Buble. I don't own Harry Potter, but I am in awe of JKR and the world that she's created. Have a great time reading, and I would love to hear from you and know what you think of how things are going. Thanks for reading, Mutt**

**Chapter 11:**

**What aren't we seeing?**

**Anwen POV:**

_Our house is bursting at the seams, and I have never been happier in my life. It's Easter Sunday, and everyone is here. My family is in from Canada, all the Marauders, all the kids home from school, the Weasleys, the Tonkses, Albus and Minerva, Kingsley, Mad–Eye and Amelia – anyone who was important to us is floating around my house and I could just jump for joy._ Ethan's baptism had been this morning. Normally, they don't do baptisms on Easter Sunday, but given that most of the people we wanted to have here to share this with us were in for the holiday, Rev. Levalley had agreed to let it be part of the Easter Celebration. Everyone had come back to the house for brunch when the service had ended.

Kreacher was taking care of the kitchen, no one would ever mistake the elf for pleasant; but, he wasn't indignant any more. That was a step in the right direction at least. He did his work, and stayed out of our way, so it all seemed to be effective. I stood in the doorway of the room, and watched the scene before me; Evan was chasing poor Molly all over the room, and the old dog was trying to find a way out. My Ma and Molly Weasley were chatting with Andromeda about something or other, Ma had taken pen to paper and was taking notes. The young guys were still discussing Quidditch. It was announced that the next Quidditch World Cup would take place in Great Britain, in a little over a year. They were all discussing who they thought should make which country's national teams. _ Will Ron ever give up on the Cannons? They're awful. His dedication is...admirable._

My sister, Liddy, was holding Ethan. _She's making eyes at the baby, and I hope that Steven knows what that look means, if he doesn't, he'll find himself a father within a year._ Ginny, Eira and Hermione were sitting around her, playing with the baby. Ethan was now two weeks and two days old. It was young to be baptized, but I didn't know when my family would be in from Canada again. Thankfully, we were able to arrange things quickly. Andromeda had secured the Black family Christening gown from her sister, Cissy. How exactly she had done it, I wasn't sure, but I know that Sirius was touched that she did. Andromeda swore that her sister really wasn't as bad as the scum she had married, and that she hoped one day that they would be able to reconcile. For her sake, I hoped it as well. Ginny was looking a little rough around the edges again, not as bad as when she came home for Christmas, but rough nonetheless.

A ruckus made my head turn, and I saw that my brothers were sliding furniture around the ballroom, clearing a space. _They're going to teach the boys to play floor hockey. Help us all. _"Guys, why don't you go down to the dining room. I'll shrink the table out of the way, then you won't hit anyone else in here," I asked them, and they started moving toward the door. Sirius was at my side.

"I'll go with them, love, make sure they don't break the dishes or anything," he suggested, but I knew that he was hoping to play with them.

"Fine, dear. Thank you," I said, playing along. Remus, James and Kingsley followed him and all the young men out. Lily and Tonks came over and linked arms with me as the men left the room.

"Anwen, Tonks here needs our help. Seems that our wolfy Marauding friend here has become frozen in his actions towards her," Lily said. I nodded in understanding. Tonks and Remus had indeed been getting closer, but he would only take things so far, and no further. They had been out on a date, but he wouldn't even hold her hand.

"Still nothing, huh?" Tonks shook her head. "And you're sure you want this, I mean, we are talking about a guy that has NEVER dated, ever. We've only seen him on one outing, and I don't think he even kissed her," I said, and Lily shook her head as well. _Of course, the only thing Lily remembered about that night was getting engaged to James._

"I'm sure. When I'm with him, I feel safe, even knowing what he is," Tonks explained, her eyes dancing with love. "There is something about him, something that just feels like, home."

"I know that feeling, how about you Lil?"

"Most definitely," we agreed in understanding.

"Okay, here's the plan, we all need to go out, the six of us, on a really romantic evening. We need to do it before my mother goes back to Canada, so we have a sitter for Ethan and Evan, she won't mind, in fact, she's been pestering me to get out of the house. I'll be 30 next week, and she still thinks she needs to be telling me what I should be doing. I think dinner and dancing is what's called for, what do you think ladies?" I said.

"Not one of those clubs that you and Sirius like, right? I mean, I enjoy a night out, but it's sort of embarrassing to be with the two of you, you're so, obvious," Lily said, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"No," I assured Lily, "I'm thinking of more of a supper club kind of thing." I turned to look at Tonks. "Remus is an excellent dancer, you need to get him on the dance floor." The young witch's face fell.

"I can't dance guys. I have two left feet."

"I'll have your cousin and I give you a lesson, you'll be fine. I promise," I said. "How about a week from Friday, we'll tell them that I need to get out of the house, and that I need my closest friends with me? Sounds plausible."

"That it does, you in?" Lily asked Tonks, and she smiled.

"Oh, yeah. I'm in. Thank you, both of you," Tonks gushed.

"That's what friends are for. Believe me, there is nothing that we would rather see, than Remus happy. We're his biggest fans here," I told her, and Lily silently agreed.

I went and retrieved my son, and took him up to our room. For the time being, Ethan's crib and other necessities were in the sitting room of our suite. It allowed me to be close to him, when he awoke at night to feed. He would eventually go up to a room on the fourth floor, which one we weren't sure yet, but for now, he shared the room with his Dad and me.

I changed my beautiful boy out of his fancy clothes, and put him back into a play outfit, and settled down to feed him. Sirius had bought the most wonderful rocking chair, that was enchanted to fit me perfectly as I sat and nursed him. I settled down in it, and I could feel it mold to me. I got Ethan started, and threw a blanket up over us, just in case someone were to walk in, and started to rock. I was nearly asleep when I heard a small tapping on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked groggily. _ I like my partner and Alastor, but I really didn't want them sitting with me while I was breast feeding my son, and I certainly didn't want any of the Weasley boys in here. _

"It's Ginny, Aunt Winnie," she called. I nodded and answered, "Come in dear." She opened the door, and when she saw me, she turned to walk back out. "I didn't know that you were busy, I can come back," she said meekly.

"Ginny, you watched me feed him in hospital, I'm more covered up now than I was then. Come on in, pull up a chair, you can keep me company," I told her, and she did so. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping again and she was very quiet. "Are you all right?"

She was silent for a long time, then she took a deep breath and started talking. "If you knew that someone was doing something bad, and it could hurt someone else, you should tell someone, right?" she questioned.

"Yes, you should keep someone else from getting hurt," I told her, still not sure what she was getting at.

"Even if it would make the first person very angry," she added quietly.

"Ginny, what's going on?" I asked her, getting very concerned. "Has someone hurt you?" Horrid thoughts were passing through my head, and I desperately wanted to call Albus up here from where he was talking with my Da and Arthur Weasley in the back yard. _How badly would Da freak if he saw your Patronus? _

"No, nothing like that, I'm just afraid that someone will do something to somebody else," she said, sounding a bit like she was back pedaling.

"Ginny, do you need my help, or Uncle Sirius'?" she shook her head at me. "What about one of the teachers? You could talk with Professor McGonagall while you're here, and no one would know that it was you..." she shook her head again.

"He'd know it was me," she said meekly. _Okay, at least now I know it's a boy. What boy? Maybe Ron or Harry could do something about it? Maybe Hermione knows something._

"Ginny, could you talk with Ron or Harry, maybe?" she looked up at me when I said Harry's name, and terror crossed her face.

"No, please not Harry, don't make me tell Harry," she said, starting to cry. I went to reach out for her, but I couldn't reach her because Ethan was in the way. "I'll talk to one of my brothers, and I promise, I will do something about it, I promise Aunt Winnie. Thank you for listening to me," she said, and she quickly got up and ran out of the room. I went to stand up, but in my moving, Ethan lost his suction, and started crying. I settled myself back down, and got Ethan reattached. _There is clearly something going on at school. I need to let Minerva know that a boy is bothering Ginny. If someone hurt her, I swear there will be hell to pay._

I shifted Ethan to the other side, and we must have both dozed off, because I wasn't aware of anything before Sirius gently kissed my cheek.

"Hello beautiful, have a good nap?" he asked me, and I nodded at him. "Come on, let's get this little guy in his bed, he's had a long day," and he lifted Ethan from me and cradled him to his chest. I marveled as I watched my husband with my son. _He is such a strong man, and he melts like butter when that little boy is around. _Sirius walked him across the room, and kissed Ethan's head and laid him in his crib, so that when he awoke, he would see the Marauders in the forest, off for another adventure. Sirius turned around and looked at me,

"Love, you might want to cover up there," he said with a smirk, and I realized that he had taken the blanket, and I was sitting there, with myself completely exposed. "I have missed the view though. Nice to see that they're still as lovely as ever," he sighed.

"You're incorrigible," I told him, and he just nodded at me. "What time is it? Goodness, I forgot all about our guests. Are they still here?" I asked him, as I righted the blouse and covered myself up. Sirius came and offered me his hand.

"Most of them have left, the only ones left are your family – and since they are sleeping here that makes sense, and the Potters and Remus. Lily and your Ma are managing the clean up. Evan fell asleep in my old room and Remus and James are playing some Muggle board game called Monopoly in the Sitting Room with your Da and brothers, Liddy and Steven; and Eira is in the library, doing research for a school project," I went to interrupt him, "yes, the cabinet with your Auror books is locked up. Wouldn't want her getting into those now, would we?"

"No, we wouldn't. Thank you." I slid my hand into his and I stood up, and we walked over to the love seat and snuggled down together. _ How I have missed just being able to sit and be quiet with him. With my family here, we have had to entertain someone, or do something all the time. We haven't had much time to just, be together._ "Darn it all, I wanted a chance to talk with Minerva. I think there might be a boy bothering Ginny at school. She tried to tell me something, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She's utterly terrified of something. Whatever it is, I think it's what had her so out of sorts before Christmas," I explained.

"Anwen, you're not her mother or her sister. I know that you're worried, but we all have problems with members of the opposite sex while we're at school. That's part of growing up," he reminded me.

"I know, but when I had boy problems, I had an overprotective best friend who took care of them," I said, looking at him and smiling.

"And I had a pain in the ass little best friend who somehow persuaded girls not to hex me. Ginny has her brothers and Harry and Hermione. She will be fine," he tried to reassure me. "But, if it makes you feel better, write Minerva in the morning, and let her know," he added, and I shookmy head at him._ He was right, she didn't need me to smother her._ "I'm sure that you're right." I responded.

"Now, everything is under control in the house, our son is napping, and you look like you could fall over from lack of sleep. How about if we go and climb into that big bed over there, and you can take a nap while I hold you. I've missed the feel of you curled up next to me," he said, while kissing my face.

"You know that we can't, um, be intimate, for another few weeks right?" I asked him.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't just hold you. We slept in the same bed long before we were having sex, love, and you haven't made it to bed with me for several nights now," he reminded me as he stood and helped me up and walked us over to our bed.

"Ethan hasn't been sleeping well, and I didn't want to keep you awake. I've been taking him down to the sitting room so that I won't disturb you," I expounded as I sat down on the bed. Sirius took off my shoes and I swung my legs up and started to pull down the covers.

"No more, if he's awake, then we will both be awake with him, but for right now, he's asleep and that means that you can be too. Come here love, rest and know that everything is taken care of," he said, and I curled into my favorite sleeping position, next to my husband, my hand over his heart.

**Sirius POV:**

"You owe me big time for that, I swear my cousin broke three toes," I told my wife as I was taking my shoes off. She was in the loo off our bedroom, and she was, surprisingly, yelling out to me.

"I promise that I will make it up to you. Thank you for teaching her, it's really important to her. Now, remember that you are not allowed to tease Remus tomorrow night. He honestly likes Tonks, and she likes him, and you may not take the mickey out of him over it. Got it?" she asked and I went to answer her, but she just started talking again.

"He needs a little push, and Lily and I have decided that we're going to provide it," she told me sternly. Her mother was leaving in two days, so she had planned a triple date with James and Lily and Remus and Tonks for tomorrow night. _What the hell are they thinking, my cousin and Moony? Really? That will never work._

"I hope you know what you're doing here. This could all blow up in your faces," I said to her, grinning wildly. I continued to get undressed and pulled the blankets down on the bed. It was the first night that Ethan would be out of our room. He was spending the night with his grandparents, so that Anwen and I could get a full night's sleep.

"Or, it could be wonderful," Anwen responded from the loo. "Now, I was at the Healer's this morning," she added, her voice changing its timbre and tone, "and she was impressed with not only how well Ethan is doing, but how quickly I have healed. I have been given a clean bill of health, and been told that I may resume a full slate of activities," she said, walking out of the bathroom, wearing only my button down shirt. There were only a few buttons done, down near the bottom, and I could fully appreciate what breast feeding had done for my wife's figure. She walked over to me, and the only thoughts that I could form were completely filled with lust and wanting. "I know what you're feeling right now..." she said, as her lips met mine, "...and I believe that I owe you big time for something," she whispered as kissed down my chest.

**Anwen POV:**

Dinner was turning out to be quite a bit of fun. There were a few moments of awkwardness, mostly on Remus' part, since he had absolutely no experience dating, but it was soon over. We were all friends, and had hung out more times than we could count, this was just more of the same. Sirius had taken me out on the dance floor, and we were whirling around the floor. It had been years since we had been dancing, at least like this.

"Do you know how beautiful you are? I swear that you are glowing, my dear," he told me, and I blushed.

"Glad you think so, because I have been left with stretch marks and a very sore back from carrying our son, but it is all worth it when I look at him. We did really good, darling," I smiled at him and he spun me around.

"Yes, we did. When can we start working on baby number two?" he asked me, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Sirius, I was only allowed to start having sex again yesterday, and our son is only five weeks old today. Can I have, oh say, six months? Anyway, the Healer told me yesterday that I shouldn't be able to get pregnant again until I'm no longer breast feeding Ethan. Do you think you can wait that long?" I asked, sounding slightly irritated. _It's not like he's the one who has to be pregnant._

"I suppose, but after seeing how good we are at this, I think that we owe the world more beautiful children," he told me, to which he earned an eye roll.

"Well, try to keep your abnormally large head from blocking anyone else's view here dear," I shot back, but he just leaned down to kiss me. It was interrupted by James tapping Sirius' shoulder.

"You know, you've got rotten timing there Prongs," he said, looking at his best mate. The look on James face made the joking stop.

"Harry just mirrored me, someone ransacked his things. Cracked the mirror, he was concerned that it might not work. Albus was wondering if you could come with us up to the castle to have a look, Anwen. With everything that's going on, he'd rather not call in the Ministry. You're still on leave..." he said, and I nodded at him. We all started walking off the dance floor.

"I don't think that it would be so great if we all went traipsing up to the school," I said.

"I agree, why don't the rest of you head over to the Manor and wait for word. Anwen, you and I can go up," James said, and Lily started to protest, but James interrupted her "Lil, he's fine, I'm going to Disillusion myself so that no one even knows that I am there. We're meeting Minerva, and she's going to sneak Anwen into the tower. We'll be in and out, may not even see the kids," he told her, and she seemed somewhat placated.

I kissed Sirius goodbye, he whispered that he would go and take care of the bill and I thanked him for it. _It was comical to watch the lengths that he and James would go to get their hands on the bill when we went out. I honestly wouldn't put it past my husband to have arranged this so that he could pay tonight._

James and I went into the alley behind the club and we apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. Hagrid was there to greet us, explaining that they were keeping the gates sealed, for safety reasons. James quickly made himself invisible. We went up to Minerva's office, and I told James that I would be back in a minute. I changed over to my kestrel form, and flew up to the dorms. James had mirrored Harry and told him to be waiting by the window for me. I flew into the open window and changed back over.

"The rest of my roommates are down in the common room. The only one that knows that you're here is Ron, and he won't tell anyone," Harry let me know, looking a little worse for the night's events.

"Did you know, this is the same room that your Dad shared with the Marauders when he was at school? I remember flying in that same window on more than one occasion," I told him and he smiled at the thought. "Don't tell your Dad, but I slept in his bed for the whole Christmas break my second year." Harry looked at me puzzled. "Sirius and I were the only ones who had stayed for the break, and he'd gotten too tall to sleep on the couches downstairs, and I could get up here, so I slept in your Dad's bed. We kept falling asleep while we were talking," I told him as I looked around.

"My roommates started cleaning things up, but I stopped them so that you could look at stuff," he explained. I picked a few things up, and looked through his trunk, but the ransacking wasn't done magically, and there was no evidence of anyone here.

"Sorry Harry, but there isn't any magic, except for yours and I don't even have any empirical evidence that I could analyze. My guess is that someone was playing a rather dumb prank on you. Sorry. Want me to clean it all up for you?" I asked him, and he nodded yes. I raised my head, and uttered "_Pack_," and everything went swiftly and neatly into his trunk and back into his drawers.

"Really, the spell is 'Pack' that's it?" Harry said, sounding shocked. _It was one of the simpler spells, why they didn't teach it until sixth year Charms, I didn't know._ "I'll remember it in the future. Thanks for coming over, I know that it sort of buggered McGonagall out," he said, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Hey, you're kinda dressed up there Aunt Winnie," he wondered. He was right, I was wearing another vintage cocktail dress that I had found in a second hand shop, it was the most beautiful shade of aubergine, and it fit me very well. The strapless velvet dress was tight through the bust and waist and then fanned out greatly. The bottom had a wide off white satin band, covered in satin rosettes. _Didn't realize that giving birth magically, also meant that you healed magically. They give you potions and do spells so that things go back into place much quicker than they do for Muggles. _

"Oh, well, we were out with your parents," _and Remus and Tonks but you don't need to know that_. "Your Mum is home with Sirius, your Dad is in Professor McGonagall's office. You can either go over and see him, or not, it's up to you," I offered him the choice, and he screwed up his face at me.

"No, he'll want the whole story, and you just said there was nothing here. I guess that I just worry about...everything. Thanks Aunt Winnie," he said. I smiled at him, and fought the urge to hug him. Just before I changed over, I asked him, "How Ginny doing?"

"Fine, she's the same as she always is," he told me. _Guess that everything is really all right._ I changed over and flew back out of the window and over to Minerva's office. We talked for a while, and she let me know how well my classes were going. We agreed to meet for tea the following week so that I could make sure that she was ready for the examinations at Auror School. I think she also wanted a chance to ogle Ethan. James and I flooed from Minerva's office back to the Manor, and I recounted my investigation into nothing for everyone.

Remus and Tonks flooed to their own homes, without so much as a handshake goodbye. Since my parents were again keeping Ethan with them, Sirius and I flooed home for another quiet evening, alone.

**Sirius POV:**

We were sitting in the Headmaster's box the following weekend, to watch the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match. I knew through Anwen that both King and Moody were here, somewhere, in disguise, along with trainee Aurors concealed and in the building and on the grounds. My wife was sitting next to me, holding Ethan. _Who thought he would be at his first Hogwarts Quidditch match at only 6 weeks old. _ James and Lily were sitting in the row in front of us, next to some of the other parents. Remus was home, the full moon had only been two days ago, and he was sleeping off the effects.

Arthur and Molly did not come to the games, they couldn't stand to see Fred and George fly. It drove Molly crazy to watch how reckless they were. _Good thing they never saw Anwen play chicken on a broom. They would have had a fit._ _My wife, tiny as she was her second year, getting the best of my brother while we were flying, is one of my favorite memories of her from school._ Members of the Board of Governor's were sitting in the front few rows, and we were simply waiting for the rest of the staff and the Headmaster for the match to begin. Just then, Snivelus blew into the box.

"Auror Hodgson-Black, I was sent to retrieve you. It would seem that Auror Shaklebolt needs to speak with you in the Headmaster's office," he said with a dull affect. "Your...husband," he spat at me, "can come with you," he added. Anwen had already put her hand on my knee, trying to calm me.

"Thank you Professor Snape. I will be along in a moment," she told him, wearing her Auror face, and acting professionally. He gave her a slight nod and then took another step down.

"Lily, Professor McGonagall asked me if you would go to the Hospital wing. Harry is fine, but she needs to speak with you there," he said, his tone completely different with her. She looked concerned, and immediately stood. "Oh, Potter, you can come too," he said, his original voice back.

We all stood, Lily turned to Anwen and asked, "Would you like me to take Ethan?" She had left Evan with Molly and Arthur at the Burrow. Toddlers and Quidditch stands did not mix well. They were thrilled to have the little boy at their house as well, and then James and Lily could recount the entire match for them over dinner.

"I'll hold onto him, and if I need to, I can take him home. Believe it or not Lils, I can take care of my son," I told her.

"I know you think you can, but you used mine as a Quaffle when he was an infant, so you'll understand if I'm a little skeptical of your skills," ahe teased me. We left the stands and as we reached the castle, broke off into two groups. Anwen, Ethan and I headed to the Headmaster's office and Lily and James went to the Hospital wing.

King and Mad–Eye were in Albus' office, and the three had their heads together in deep conversation as we arrived.

"What happened?" Anwen asked, and they all turned to face her.

"There was another attack, two girls have been petrified. One of them was Miss Granger, which is why I had Lily and James go up to the hospital wing. Harry and Ron are quite distressed about this turn of events," he said, Anwen nodding the whole time.

"Was there anything else to go on?" she asked. Kingsley shook his head at her.

"Nothing. We tried revealing the magic, but there was no spell trace left. There is no indication of potions in the girls' bodies and they don't have any spell or charm trace present. There was nothing at the scene that could even be gathered and tested. Honestly, we're at a loss. Whatever is happening, it's like the culprit comes and goes out of thin air," King told her. A look of concern crossed her face.

"We're sure that the wards haven't been breached. Someone isn't succeeding in apparating in and out of the castle?" she wondered aloud.

"I'm sure. You cannot apparate within the grounds or castle; it was built this way. The ward is anchored in the masonry of the building. James and Sirius are here, and they're the warding experts, I feel comfortable in letting them check the wards, but I am positive that they are secure. Anyhow, wouldn't someone powerful enough to bend the wards, not leave a magical signature?" Albus asked Anwen, and she moved her head in agreement.

"It was just an idea. Did any of the students see anything? Any of our Aurors who were in disguise?" she queried again. Ethan started to stir in my arms, and I knew that he would be waking and wanting a bottle. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the diaper bag that I had reduced and stowed away, and restored it to full size. I took out a bottle, and set it aside so that when he awoke I would be ready. _ I have the feeling that we will be here for a while. I wonder if Molly and Arthur could watch Ethan as well? If James and I are going to need to check the wards, and Anwen is going to investigate, and Lily is sitting with Hermione, we don't have anyone to watch the baby._ I was roused from my musings by my wife's hand.

"Are you all right?" she asked, and I nodded at her.

"Fine dear, just want to be ready to feed this little guy."

"I'm going to head down to look at the area where this most recent attack took place. Maybe I will see something that the others have missed. The students are all being kept in their common rooms, so the area will be clear for investigations. Are you going to wait here or head home?"

"I'll stay here for a while, I think James and I should take a look at the wards, just to be safe, although I'm sure that Albus is right. We would already know if someone had breached them." She leaned down and kissed Ethan's head, and then kissed me lightly.

"I'll be right back," she said, walking from the office with the other three men.

Shortly after they left, Lily and James arrived. Ethan was still drinking his bottle.

"I can't believe the year that poor girl has had," Lily said as they entered. "I'm not sure which one of the boys was more distraught, Harry or Ron," she wondered aloud.

"She's in good hands, and Pomona said that the Mandrakes are only a few weeks away from being fully grown. They will have all the students restored in time for examinations, which will please Hermione to no end," James made the joke and it seemed to lighten Lily's mood. _That girl would have made Anwen and Lily look calm and relaxed in their revisions work._ "Where's Anwen?"

"She went down to where the most recent attack occurred with King and Alastor, hoping that she would see something. I doubt that they will find anything. Who ever is doing this, they're really powerful and skilled, they're masking their magic," I said. Ethan had finished eating, and I put him up on my shoulder to burp. Lily looked at me with the strangest smile.

"Sirius, I take back my earlier comment. I'm shocked at how good you are with him," she said.

"Um, thank you I guess, Lils. Why is everyone so surprised that I can take care of my own son?"

"Because, for the longest time in your life, you couldn't even take care of yourself," Lily had a rather proud smile on her face, and James had cocked a knowing smile. I wasn't thrilled with their characterization.

"Now, look at you: husband, father, homeowner, respectable business owner, member of the Council of 13...we're all just a little surprised at how well you have handled it," James added. _Was that a compliment or not?_ "You probably haven't even taken the motorbike out in a while," he suggested, but I shook my head at him.

"Actually, took it out two nights ago, Ethan had his first ride," I explained. The minute the words left my mouth, I regretted them, judging by the look on Lily's face.

"You took your six week old son out on that damn enchanted bike? Are you insane?" _The delicate flower that roared._

"Yes, He was safely inside of my jacket, and we went very slowly up and down the drive at the farm. I would have broken every bone in my body before I would have let any harm come to him. Lily, I'm not an idiot," I told her.

"Could have fooled me," she snapped back, clearly angry at me. "I'm telling your wife."

"Anwen already knows. She wasn't happy, but she accepted that I took the necessary precautions." Lily shook her head, so I decided to change the subject. "Albus asked us to take a look at the wards, make sure that it wasn't possible for someone to slip through them. They are apparently tied to the masonry of the building. He doesn't think that they were breached, but, I think he's exploring every possible avenue," I advanced and James agreed.

"I reviewed what he knows about them a while back, after the last attack. Albus had said that he might want us to check them in the future," James explained. "I guess this is the future."

"If you want me to take Ethan, you two can go and get started on that," Lily said, holding her hands out my now awake son.

"I think we should wait for Albus, and to see if Anwen was able to get any further information. Anyway, I think I need to continue to prove that I know how to care for my little guy here. In fact, it's time for a nappy change," I added, hating the task, but I wasn't going to let Lily have the upper hand here.

I changed him, and we settled down to talk with each other until the rest returned, which wasn't long. Anwen didn't find anything, but said that she did have some ideas, and she wanted to head home to hit her books in the library. She took Ethan, and headed back to Grimmauld while James and I went to check the wards. They were holding strong, and free of disturbances, so when I went to try to pass through them, I proceeded to get knocked on my arse.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hello there fine readers, a couple of bits of business to take care of first. One of my most awesome readers has made me a banner for "Bound", and it's posted on my LiveJournal account. The address is: **.com **and it's a few entries down, but you really should go and see it, it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you HGRH35 (Collinda) for the beautiful, beautiful banner. Second, my amazing beta, MyGinevra (Peter)'s story is up on and it's called "The Hogs Head", and I hope that everyone will go and give it a read. It is an amazing, amazing story. Okay, on to this chapter, we finally find out what's going on up at school. Unlike the book, Ginny is the central character in the aftermath, and her struggle to find normalcy. There are two songs for this chapter, and they're both by Sarah MacLachlan: "Do What You Have To Do" is Anwen's theme and "Into the Fire" is Ginny's. Again, I thank you all so much for your faithful reading of this story and I would love to hear what you think is going to happen next, especially as we head into the Prisioner of Azkaban year. I don't own the HP world, I still have to go to work every day, and if I'd written those books, I wouldn't be. Mutt  
**

**Chapter 12:**

**I know what you're going through**

**Anwen POV:**

I had been summoned back up to Hogwarts, and this time there was bile forming bubbling in my throat and my heart was racing. Ginny had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets earlier tonight, and Harry and Ron had decided to go in after her. We had been told that they had taken a Professor with them, but then when we found out that it was Lockhart, we knew that it really was just the two of them. Albus had been returned to the school, and it was he that had summoned Sirius and me. He promised me that they were all safe. _That's what I find curious, he called them safe, not fine, not well, just safe. Albus is as deliberate in his speech as someone who is arguing a case before the Wizengamot. I don't like his choice of words here, what did safe mean?_

James and Lily had left Evan with Remus, and we had taken Ethan over to him as well. Luckily both of the boys were sleeping, so they wouldn't give him much trouble. _ There are people that would call us bad parents because we're willing to leave our young children in the care of a werewolf. _ He was going to fire call Tonks to see if she could come over and sit at the Manor with him. If my mind hadn't been so full of other things, I might have seen it as something important, but I was too worried.

As we flooed into Minerva's office, I was surprised to only find Albus there, waiting for us.

"Thank you for coming, Anwen. I need you to go and talk with Ginny. I think that she may need some of the skills that you have from a previous Auror assignment," he said. I was afraid that I was going to be sick as he said it. _I somehow doubt that it was a financial crime that had been committed, which meant that it was the time I spent with abuse and torture victims._ Sirius must have felt the wave of disgust and fear that washed over me, because he put a protective hand on my shoulder.

"Tell me what you know already, so that I don't have to make her repeat things," I said coldly. There was a way that I handled these things, and part of it was by being detached. It was going to be particularly hard in this case, this was someone that I loved who had been hurt.

"It would seem that she was given a diary that had once belonged to Tom Riddle," he said. I nodded at him. _ I had studied Voldemort and Death Eaters enough that I knew this was his birth name. During our time working on bringing down the Death Eaters through their financial records, we'd amassed quite a file, hoping that something from his childhood would lead us to his funds. It hadn't._

"Voldemort?" Sirius said, disgust filling his voice. _I didn't hide anything from the family. We all knew that we were going to be the first to have to deal with him when he did eventually return._

"She was possessed by him, forced to open the Chamber so that the Basilisk could roam free in the school. I have seen her memories, and she didn't do this of her own free will, no charges can be brought against her," he said, and I nodded at him again. _It wasn't unheard of for Death Eaters to put children under the Imperius Curse, and have them kill their own parents. The cases rarely even had a full legal file ever opened. They couldn't be held responsible for their actions, they couldn't even use magic yet._ "Anwen, there are three things that happened that I can clearly see in her memories. First, he played on her fears and abused her emotionally," he told me. _Crap, if that's where he's starting, I don't want to think about where we are headed with this._

"Second, there are the acts she committed while possessed. She killed some roosters, which she feels bad about, but all of those students were hurt because of her actions. Her guilt is overwhelming. Third, it would seem that when he emerged in the Chamber, he was more corporeal, and he got hold of her wand, and was able to use the Cruciatus on her," he stopped, and I needed to let the words digest. Sirius had turned and swore a blue streak. His anger was overwhelming me.

"Sirius, you have to control your emotions, I can't handle them and take care of her as well," I scolded him, and he calmed himself down, coming to wrap his arms around my waist and putting his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry love, it's just...it's Ginny we're talking about here. I will kill that bastard for touching another one of our kids," he said, knowing that he was referring to everything that had happened to Harry because of Voldemort. A very small part of me was warmed by his referring to Ginny as one of "our kids" knowing that somewhere in the last few years, she had been adopted into our strange, extended family of Marauders. It was little comfort for what I needed to ask next. I took a deep breath, centering and steadying myself.

"Is there anything else that I need to know before I go in there?" I asked, hoping that he had nothing else to say. When he opened his mouth to speak, my heart fell.

"Her memories are cloudy, I can't tell if anything else happened. She may not even be old enough to know what could have happened," Albus responded, understanding what I was asking. _Damn, I hate when I have to ask these questions of children._

"Do you think that Molly and Arthur would mind if I probed her mind? It won't hurt her, I'll be as gentle as I can, but it would be easier than forcing her to say things out loud, especially if she doesn't really understand what might have happened. I need to speak with Molly and Arthur. I don't usually go into a child's mind without permission." I hoped that my explanation would be enough for him.

"I think given the circumstances, it will be the most effective way to get answers. I would suggest that we refrain from talking with her mother and father right now, however. Madame Pomfrey had to give Molly a calming potion. I was finally able to get them to leave her side, so that you could speak with her in private. Molly was quite hysterical before we medicated her. They are in my office with Ron, as well as the Potter's as we speak. If anything comes of it, we will let them know what was done. The fact that it is you going into her mind, will make it all that much easier on her, and them," the Headmaster concurred. "Sirius, would you like to go up to my office, and wait with the others?" The question was asked, but before Sirius could answer, I spoke up.

"Actually, sir, could Sirius stay here. I think that I will need to draw on him, emotionally, to get through this. I need to remain as calm as possible, and I've found that containing my emotions is sometimes harder than containing my magic. If he were to stay here, and remain calm and focused, it would help me a great deal," I said, feeling somehow inadequate to do my job in this moment.

"Of course, Anwen. I do not envy you this task," he said. I turned and faced my husband.

"This is a part of my past I had hoped to have left behind," I said as he wrapped me up in his arms. I felt so small all of a sudden. "I don't know if I can do this," I told him, speaking quietly into his chest.

"Anwen, she needs you. You're the only one who can help her here. I'm here, draw on me and let me help you do this. I have faith in you," he said, and I felt enveloped in his love and comfort. I steadied myself, and pulled myself from his embrace, then Albus and I headed out of the office toward the hospital wing. He left me at the door, and Poppy greeted me as I entered the space. She informed me of the potions that she had already given Ginny, and I asked her to have some Calming Potions on hand, I also asked her to contact St. Mungo's and let them know that I needed Healer Weston to contact me here at the school immediately. Betty Weston and I had worked together on these kinds of cases, and she was the only one that I would trust to help Ginny heal the emotional and psychological wounds that would no doubt be left behind. I then asked her to leave us alone, and she did so.

Ginny was in a private area, in the back of the room. There were other students here, those that had been petrified that were in the process of healing, and Gilderoy Lockhart was lying in a bed mumbling to himself, but I ignored them all. I opened the small curtained area, and walked in, and then cast a Silencing Charm and also warded the area so that we would be left alone.

**Sirius POV:**

I couldn't believe how strongly I could feel her pulling on me. There were times when her emotional drag was so forceful, that I swore she was sitting here with me, clawing on my shirt to hold her tighter. She had shut off her dam of emotions, warding herself magically. I was thankful for it, I could only imagine that what she was feeling right now would be overwhelming.

She was gone for well over an hour, a time when all I could feel of my wife was her raw need of my strength. I knew it was over when her wall fell, and her despair came crashing down on me. I was able to shake it off, and went to find her. She had made it as far as an empty classroom down the hall from the hospital wing, and had sunk down onto the floor, weeping.

Her body shook from the sobs that were roaring over her, and she wouldn't even look at me. I picked her up, and held her to me, offering her words of calm and comfort. I didn't want to take her back out into the hallway, in case someone might see us. So we sat there, on the cold floor, Anwen sobbing uncontrollably.

"Tell me, please, tell me what you learned," I asked her. She lifted her head and shook it.

"I won't Sirius. I can't betray Ginny's confidence in that way, and I wouldn't make you bear this," she said. _ How is it that this little woman still thinks that she needs to protect me? She is truly the stronger of the two of us._

"Can you at least tell me, did he...hurt...her?"

"I don't think so, at least not physically. God, I could curse him right now. She is a little girl, an innocent little girl," she whispered. "Oh, Sirius, I failed her. I knew that something was wrong, she tried to tell me, but I didn't do anything," she cried.

"Anwen, you did everything that you could, you can't blame yourself, please," I begged her. I knew all to well that Anwen would try to take the guilt on herself. She nodded against me, and I decided to drop it for now. As she calmed herself down, she conjured a flannel and a bowl of water to wipe down her face. She cast a glamor on herself, making her eyes appear normal, rather than puffy and red.

"I need to go and talk with Molly and Arthur. I need to take Ginny to St. Mungo's for treatment with Healer Weston. She should be able to come back after a day or two, if she wants," Anwen told me.

"Anwen, it's the middle of the night, I would think that they would be asleep," I told her, not even knowing if they were in the castle or not.

"No, there is a feast going on in the Great Hall, the Potters and Weasley's are still here, in Headmaster's Dining Room," she told me. I looked at her confused. "The students who had been petrified have been restored, and there is a celebration. I heard about it while I was in hospital. The boys didn't want their parents at the feast, so they are together in the private room. Hagrid is being sent back as well. I want to get Ginny started with Betty as soon as possible. The sooner we can teach her to pack away the memories of what happened, the quicker she will put this behind her," she said.

"All right, are you okay to walk?" I asked her, not sure how steady on her feet she would be.

"I'm fine. Let me do this, and then I need to take Ginny to St. Mungo's. I'll stay with her as long as she needs me," she said with resolve.

We went to the Dining Room where the adults were gathered, and they were all surprised to find that we were in the building. James and Lily caught on very quickly why Anwen was called in, and we three went to sit on the far side of the room, knowing that it would be a difficult conversation for Anwen, Molly and Arthur to have, they didn't need an audience. While sitting with my friends, I tried to make polite conversation, but I couldn't help but listen as Anwen explained what Albus suspected. The Weasleys weren't sure why it was that Anwen was brought it, and she explained not only about the work she did during the first war, but also her own attack in Hogsmeade all those years ago. As she talked about what happened to her, Lily must have seen me tense, because she laid a gentle hand on mine.

"You know, if something like this ever happened to me, I would want Anwen at my side," she said quietly. "She is so gentle and compassionate. Ginny will be fine. Maybe, it's because of what she went through, when she was attacked, maybe this is the good thing that came out of such an awful thing," she suggested, and while I hated the idea that my Winnie had to suffer, to ease the sufferings of others, I knew that Lily was probably right. _ Knowing Anwen, she would probably have seen something spiritual in the way it all worked out._

They talked for a while longer, Anwen explaining why she wanted to take her to St. Mungo's, and who she would be seeing. She said that she would fire call when Ginny was ready to see her parents, but that they should wait for her to contact them. Molly protested, saying that she wanted to be with her daughter, but Anwen explained that it might be easier for the young girl not to have the pressure of pleasing her mother. Talking to a stranger would be easier, as even Anwen wouldn't be part of her therapy, but instead nearby for moral support. Molly and Arthur nodded, and as Anwen got up, she promised that she would not leave Ginny alone, until she was sure that she could handle it all. Molly hugged Anwen tightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Molly, Ginny is family, and I love her deeply. You're the one who taught me that this is what families do for each other. She is a strong girl, I know she'll be fine, we just need to help her get on the road to healing as fast as we can," my wife explained. Arthur surprised her when he grabbed her and hugged her tightly as well. "She's my princess, make sure she's taken care of," he asked her. Anwen nodded at him.

My wife walked over to me, and I folded her into my arms. "Lean on me all that you need, I will be here for you. Don't worry about Ethan, I'll stay at the Manor with him, so that I have all the help I need. I love you, and I am in awe of you right now," I told her, and she looked up at me with that helpless face that made me fall in love with her all those years ago. _Sometimes I think that I am the only person she lets know just how vulnerable she can be._ She nodded, and the look was gone, replaced by her calm and resolve to help Ginny. She walked from the room, to take Ginny to St. Mungo's.

**Anwen POV:**

We were all sitting in the garden at the Burrow. It was the end of June, Ethan was three months old, and smiling brightly as he sat on my lap. I had just fed and changed him, and we had come back outside to see what was going on.

The younger Weasley boys and Harry were flying around on their brooms, not really playing Quidditch, but instead just tossing the ball around, flying past one another, trying to see who could knock whom off their broom. They had been home from school for a week now, and this was a sort of family homecoming, celebration party for the whole family, even Bill and Charlie. Arthur had won the yearly Prophet contest, a prize of 700 Galleons. They were planning a trip somewhere, as a family. I was happy for them even though I knew the planning of this trip seemed to be the cover story for why everyone was home. In my gut I knew they all needed to check up on their little sister.

Charlie was with his father, trying to figure out some sort of lawn game apparatus that Arthur had pulled out from the shed, but it didn't seem that either of them knew exactly what it was, or what they were supposed to do with it. Molly and Lily were fussing over the food on the buffet table, making sure things were hot or cold or whatever. I had offered to help, but they had told me just to relax and sit down. Ginny and Hermione had set the table, and they were now playing a modified game of tag with Evan. The two year old delighted in running after the girls, and was laughing wildly; even when he fell over his own feet.

Bill, James and Sirius all had their heads together, clearly discussing warding and curse breaking. Sirius had indeed brought a list of questions with him. _That may be the first time that I had ever seen Sirius willingly do homework, of any kind._ It seemed like a normal family gathering, but there was a thickness to the air that no one talked about, but it was still omnipresent. My eyes went back to Ginny, she was happy and laughing, but I could still see a sadness and fear in her eyes. I wondered how long it would be there.

She had spend three days in St. Mungo's, under the care of Healer Weston. There was nothing that needed to be healed physically with Ginny. A thorough examination had proved that she had not withstood any physical abuse. A scan of her brain had also proven that there were no long lasting effects of being under the torture curse either. _But you know for a fact Anwen, that it's the emotional scars that stay with you long after that. There were nights I would still wake up, feeling as if I had just been cursed. The only cure for me, had been to just snuggle myself closer to Sirius. It's why I had come to sleep with my hand over his heart. I was sure that I was safe, if I could feel it coursing beneath my fingers. The years we had spent apart had nearly killed me. I couldn't find any relief from the after–effects of the curse._ Emotionally though, Ginny was a wreck.

Healer Weston taught her how to "box up and put away" the memories of being possessed and tortured, through a modified form of Legilimency. She basically taught the victim to pack away everything that they could recall about the event, and then seal the box and pretend to store it away in their mind. It would remain that way until they chose to open the box. _Well, that's not completely true, an accomplished Occlumens could get in, if they wanted to. Thankfully, the only ones that Ginny is ever around: Dumbledore, Mad Eye, Kingsley, Remus and I; we are friendly to her, and wouldn't want to go rummaging around in her mind._

_She's such a strong girl, but she's just acting it right now._ I remembered how desperately those around me wanted me to "be all right", so I just started acting like I was. There is a Muggle saying, "fake it till you make it" and the first few months after the attack were truly that. The only one who saw through it was Sirius. He called it my stage smile. I know how much it hurt him to see it; almost as much as it hurt when he would feel me tense against his touch. _God, Ginny hasn't even been able to have a boyfriend yet, what if she shies away from a loving embrace, and her first kiss?_ I looked back at Ginny, and I knew that she really wasn't having fun today. When she was released from the hospital, she insisted that she go back to school – wanted to face her fears head on. I admired her spunk, it had taken me 6 years to get back into that damned alley. Her brothers, Harry and Hermione provided her with a close circle, one that kept out people who might laugh or ridicule her. She confided however, that sometimes the circle had gotten a little too tight, and she felt like she might be suffocated by it. She flooed to St. Mungo's twice a week to see Healer Weston, and she and I met regularly to talk; sometimes it was just to sit and let her cry without anyone trying to stop her.

I knew that her family wanted to make her better, but this was something that she was going to have to deal with on her own. She was the only one who had the power to heal herself. A coldness passed over me as I watched the girl, and not even my happy, smiling son on my lap could seem to make we warm again.

That night, as I lay wrapped up in my husbands arms, I finally felt safe and warm. Sirius and I had returned to our normal, active, married life. Even with a baby, and the lack of sleep that it brought, I sometimes found my longing for my husband nearly unbearable. I was so thankful for the comfort that he could bring me, the safeness that our unions bestowed.

"Love, are you all right?" he asked me, his lips nuzzled against the top of my head. "You're so very quiet," he commented.

"I'm fine, just processing. All of this stuff with Ginny caused me to think about some things that I would have preferred to never remember. I need to pack my own boxes back up, and stow them away," I told him, knowing that he'd catch the reference to the process that Healer Weston used.

"You know, I can't believe how well you handled all of it. You were simultaneously dealing with Ginny and the Investigation into the Chamber. The Council was so impressed with you when you came in to tell us what you had found. I'm amazed at how brilliant you are every day that we're together. Seeing you that way was just thrilling for me, although, having Lucius stripped of his seat on the Wizengamot because of his mistreatment of other members of the Board of Governors at the school, was fairly wonderful as well. But, no, you were the best part of the meeting," he told me.

"I think that you're biased, Mr. Black. How many other people that have been called to speak before the Council are willing to do this to you?" I asked, as my hand moved to a place that my husband particularly enjoyed being caressed. He groaned his pleasure at my gesture.

"None, and that's a very good thing," his whisper almost a moan. "Now see what you've done..." he said, as he rolled over and pulled me onto him. "You're going to have to let me take care of this, love."

**Sirius POV:**

The next morning, Anwen was up and moving before dawn. _How the hell does she do it? I know that she got up to feed Ethan in the middle of the night, and now she's up with him already? All right, she's just trying to spend as much time with him as possible. She goes back to work tomorrow, and even though she will only be in the office for 3 shifts per week, she's already feeling guilty about it. _I slid myself from the bed and quickly showered and got dressed. Anwen was sitting at the kitchen table, Ethan in his bouncer seat on the table. She was feeding him some thin gruel.

"What are you feeding our son, dear?" I asked her, disgustedly. She looked up and smiled at me.

"It's thinned cereal. It's what Muggle children start on when they are first eating solid-ish foods. He likes it, see," she said, as she scooped a small amount onto the tiny spoon, and let Ethan sort of suck it off.

"Well, I guess. Looks kind of gross to me dear," I told her, as I went to put the kettle on to make some tea. I picked it up, and realized that it was warm.

"I heard the shower going, so I put the pot on. Your tea should be steeped and ready," she told me, and I just smiled at her. _Eggs and bangers in the pan, toast just lightly browned and hot tea._ _Married the best damned witch in all of England._ As I sat down at the table, we were both surprised when we heard someone come through the floo fireplace in the hall. I got up to see who it was, and was gobsmacked to find Ginny in a heap on the floor, crying.

"Ginny, honey, what happened? Is everything all right at home? Is someone hurt?" I asked her, she was shaking her head.

"No, I just couldn't take it anymore. They are looking at me like I'm something that will break or worse, that I've already been damaged," she said, and I thought I understood. I helped her up and before I could turn and call her, Winnie was next to me, taking over holding Ginny up.

"We're going to go upstairs, can you finish with Ethan? Just give him his bottle. There is a fresh pumping on the counter," she confirmed and I nodded at her. I went back into the kitchen and quickly ate my breakfast, and then gave Ethan his. He fell back asleep while I was feeding him, and I put him back in his seat and started to read the paper. I looked up when Anwen came in.

"I'm going to take her away for a while. There are too many people at home, too much expectation on her. She just needs to be and to deal with this in her own way. I'm going to go and talk with Molly and get some of her things. She's up in the purple room, I think she fell asleep. I also need to talk with Albus about using the safe house. I don't want anyone being able to come in, unannounced to visit her. I'll be back in a while. Will you be okay with Ethan?" she asked.

"Anwen, we'll be fine, I promise. If there is anything I can't handle, I'll go and see Lily. Take care of Ginny, she needs you right now," I told her.

"Okay, I need to get in touch with Mad–Eye too, I want to extend my maternity leave, for a week or two more. I'll be back when I can. If she needs you, she'll come find you." I nodded at her, and then heard the familiar whoosh of the floo whisking her away.

**Anwen POV:**

We had been in the old safe house that the Potters had used for three days now. I could hear her upstairs, playing music loudly on the portable CD player that I had brought with us. I knew that music was a balm for me, I hoped that it would help Ginny as well. Thankfully, I had enough batteries for it, since she was playing it almost constantly.

"I'm glad you won't be a teenager for a while, Ethan. Going from a baby to a temperamental near 12 year old would be too much for me," I said to my young son, who was nestled to me, feeding. We were in the sitting room, near the fireplace, waiting for Sirius' daily visit. I had brought Ethan with us, I was still breast feeding him, and I wasn't sure if Sirius was ready to handle him alone for several days on end. "We both miss Daddy, don't we Ethan? He'll be here soon, and if it's okay with Ginny, he's going to stay for supper tonight," I told my son, and he smiled against me. And Ginny started the same song over, again. _At least she found one that speaks to her._

Sirius burst through the fireplace, and immediately came over to kiss me. He nestled down on the couch next to us, stroking Ethan's head and putting a protective arm around us both.

"I have missed you both, so very much. Our house is too damn big for one person," he told me, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"We'll be home soon, she really is doing better. She's stopped crying, she's now just angry and frustrated. She's working though all of this, it won't be long now," I assured him. "She wants to see Harry, thank him I think, and apologize. One of the memories she recovered was that Tom was wanting to meet Harry, and hurt him in some way. She doesn't remember it all, but I think that our family could fill in those gaps," I told him, and we both nodded. _Something else that we would need to talk about at the next family meeting. _

"That's good, if she wants to see her friends," Sirius suggested, and I nodded against him.

"It's more than that, his opinion of her means everything to her, Sirius, I swear she is in love with him, not some dorky, childhood crush, she's honestly, deeply in love with him. She talks about him, like I used to talk about you, even in my first year. I recognized that my world revolved around you," I told him.

"I hope he doesn't break her heart," Sirius whispered.

"I don't think he will, I think he feels the same way. He just doesn't know it yet. Not unlike someone else I seem to remember," I teased my husband.

"I knew you were important, and I knew that I loved you, at some point in there," he told me.

"And how many years did it take you to tell me that?"

"Too long, love, far too long," he said, putting his finger under my chin to lift my lips to his. Ethan reminded us that he was there, and I shifted him up on my shoulder so that I could burp him, and when he had produced a sufficient release of gas, I let him feast on the other side. Then Ginny started the song over again.

"What is that she is playing?" Sirius asked me.

"The same song she's been playing over, and over all day. It's on one of the CD's that my sister gave me. The singer is from Canada, and apparently, that song makes her feel better. I'm just trying to ignore it. How about, when Ethan is finished, we go for a walk in the gardens?" I suggested. Sirius smiled at the idea, and then he got a wicked smile on his face.

"We could take a blanket out to the garden. Ethan will be asleep for a while," I shook my head at the implication.

"I am not going to shag you in the garden, with Ginny in the house. You will just have to wait until I get home, love," he groaned at my suggestion, but I was getting my way.

We sat there, in silence, while our young son finished his mid–day meal. I was happy to simply be in the company of my husband and son. Sirius and I went out to the garden, and we did take a blanket, but it was for Ethan to lie upon. We found him a place under the shade of an oak tree and got him settled down for his nap. Sirius and I strolled through the grass, I had taken off my shoes, and my husband laughed at me for still indulging in my childhood love of warm grass between my toes.

The afternoon was wearing on, and Ginny had still not emerged from the room that she was using. I didn't want to ask Sirius to stay for dinner without getting her permission, so I was debating what to do, when she came out onto the lawn. She had showered, and had gotten herself dressed, something I had not witnessed since we had been here. I was beginning to get concerned that I was going to have to enforce the clean and change yourself every four days house rule that Betty had insisted I should institute. _She really did understand the mind of someone healing from emotional scars._

"Hi Uncle Sirius, it's good to see you," she said, tentatively hugging him. Sirius gently embraced her.

"It's good to see you to, honey. Are you feeling better?"

"Some, it was good to get away from everyone. I couldn't take the way they were looking at me any more. It's been great to be here with Anwen and Ethan though," she said, looking down at the blanket at our sleeping son. "You miss them though," she said. Sirius nodded at her.

"Soon, I'll be ready to go home soon," she said, walking off to the other side of the gardens.

"She seems so grown up," Sirius commented. I had noticed it too. When she let the act down, her happy act, it was obvious that all that had happened had changed her, made her grow up rather quickly.

"I know. I'm eager to see what happens to her when she goes back home, with her family, to school. I was older, I knew that there was evil in the world already when I was attacked. She was still a child," I said quietly.

"She'll be fine, Winnie. She's already getting her childhood back," he said, pointing across the yard. Ginny was trying to catch a butterfly that was skirting among the flowers.

"I think you're right, love. I think you're right," I sighed back, resting my head on my husband's chest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hello there, here's another chapter, and we're headed into Harry's third year at Hogwarts. One song for this chapter: "From Me to You" by the Beatles. I very much appreciate everyone who is read this, and I do hope that you like where the story is going. Please, take a moment and let me know, it would make my day. I don't know anything, and no infringement is intended by my writing this little story. Mutt**

**Chapter 13:**

**I smell a Rat**

**Anwen POV:**

_Today is turning into the worst day. Not the worst day ever, I had lived through days that were far more catastrophic than today, but today was really, really not a good day._ I was musing in my mind as I rode the lift back to the Auror department, trying to come up with a plan. _This morning, the biggest problem you had was trying to figure out how you were going to deal with Harry blowing up his Uncle's sister, Marge Dursley, at dinner the other night. What the hell was Lily thinking, really, after 15 years, it was time to see her sister and her family? I don't get it. I wouldn't have given Petunia the time of day. But now, no one seems to care that Harry turned that windbag of a woman, well, into a balloon. _The lift came to a stop, and I went to my desk. Rufus, King and Mad–Eye were at Azkaban, they had left the meeting with Fudge to me, the only Senior Auror left in the department. _And why was that, it was because my partner and my mentor think that I am somehow breakable as a new mom, and my boss is too much of a wus to stand up to anyone. _My stomach lurched again, and I made a mental note to get myself something to eat. _ I really don't want to vomit again. What the heck did I eat that has me so ill?_ Tonks was sitting in the office, at King's desk. She was supposed to be out in the field with King today, but with the mess out at Azkaban, she was here, reading and doing her lessons.

"Wotcher, Professor." It was her term of endearment for me when we were at work. She figured she couldn't get into too much trouble calling me this, and it was safer than using my first name. She couldn't bring herself to call me Auror Hodgson-Black, no matter how hard she tried. She'd been calling me Aunt Winnie since she was a small child, getting formal now was just too difficult.

"Hello, Ms. Tonks. How are you today?" I asked her, falling down into my chair.

"I'm fine, nothing to do except sit here and keep up with my studies. How are you holding up?" she asked me, and I shrugged at her. "You look a bit peaky," she added.

"Just not feeling so good. Can't imagine why. Just sat through the most inane meeting with Fudge. This isn't his fault after all, and now I have to go and talk with James and Lily. God help us all when they find out. Oh, and for kicks, I get to remind them that they have to keep their oldest son's magic under control when he's around his Muggle relatives. My solution to that one, is just keep him away from them those," I told her, feeling a little frustrated.

"Please, tell me how you really feel," she said mockingly, looking back down at her book. I looked at the picture of my 4 ½ month old son with his Daddy on my desk. It was taken this past weekend, when we had taken Ethan to the park with the Potters. Sirius was throwing Ethan up in the air, and my sweet boy was laughing. _ How was I going to tell Sirius what had happened? Were we going to have to worry about keeping Ethan safe?_ Tears started falling down my face again. _ Why the hell are you crying lady, you're an Auror and you're at work._

I shuffled some more papers on my desk, not really working. I needed to tell my family before anyone else did, before this got out. It was close enough to the end of my shift I decided. "Hey, I'm getting out of here, dealing with Fudge was enough for one day. If anyone needs me, they can fire call me. I don't know when King and Alastor will be back, but you might just want to get them a bottle of Firewhiskey and then leave the room," I told Tonks, and she smiled at me.

I gathered my things up, and went over to the fire call area of the Auror department. I cast my privacy charms and first called Remus, and then called James and scheduled a family meeting for an hour from now. Then I called Sirius to have him order some pizza. He could go and pick it up when I got home. Then, for the fourth time that day, I went and flooed to Hogwarts for yet another meeting with Albus. I sort of fell out of the floo and had to sit down to calm the dizzy feeling that hit me.

"Welcome back, Anwen. I think we need to install a private floo for you," he joked, not looking up from his work.

"Thanks, I spend enough time up here lately, want to put me on staff?" I asked him, and he looked at me over his glasses.

"Would you be bringing your husband with you? I'm not sure the castle could withstand his living in it again," he deadpanned, and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Age has tempered my husband, Albus. Fatherhood has done wonders for him too," I told him, and he nodded, the faintest of smiles crossing his lips. "On a more serious note, have you decided what you're going to do about the wards at the Manor?"

"Yes, I think I know what we have to do, but we need to move the Potters out for a while, and I don't want to move them in with you and Sirius or with Remus either. They need to be somewhere public, for added security," he said to me. I nodded at him as he rose from his desk, and gathered the papers he had there. Together, we flooed back to my house, and another wave of nausea hit me as I fell out of the grate.

"Anwen, honey, are you all right?" my husband asked me, as I sat on the floor outside the floo fireplace.

"I think so, I just forgot to eat today," I told him, as he helped me get up, and kissed me hello.

"Anwen, you need to eat, you're still feeding Ethan," he said as he hugged me. "Sorry Albus, need to take care of my wife. I'm surprised to see you here, you don't usually come to the family meetings," I watched as my husbands face fell, the understanding that something had occurred that required Albus to assist us. "What happened?"

"I'll explain everything once the whole family is here. Albus has insight into something that happened at work today, he'll explain later, I promise. Now, where is my little angel?" I asked him, and his face broke out into a cockeyed smile.

"He's asleep in his carrier. He did more magic today. I had taken his lion out of his crib, the one that Harry and Evan had given him, and he levitated it back in with him. He almost seemed proud of himself," Sirius told me as we walked into the kitchen. My little son was indeed asleep, and I settled down in front of him, and just watched him.

"It's quite remarkable how otherwise rational witches and wizards turn to mush around an infant," Albus mused, but I didn't really care that he and my husband were laughing at me. I missed being around him. I started crying again, realizing just how perfect he is.

"Anwen, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Sirius said, coming to put his arms around me.

"He's just so beautiful," I sighed. I could feel Sirius shaking his head and I was sure that he and Albus were sharing a look. Thankfully, Remus arrived, and everyone left me alone to get myself together. _What the heck is wrong with you girl. Get it together, you haven't been this weepy in months._

Remus went with Sirius to pick up the pizza, and Albus and I were alone with Ethan. He began to stir, and I went to pick him up, but Albus put a hand on my arm, "Anwen, would you mind?"

"Of course not, Albus. I'm sure that he would enjoy some time with his godfather. Would you like a spot of tea?" I asked him as he got Ethan out of his carrier and picked him up. His face seemed softer and younger than I had seen him in years.

"That would be delightful, thank you. Anwen, I have a question to ask you, and if you think I am out of line in asking it, please let me know." I nodded at him as I went to fill the pot to warm on the stove. "I wondered why you asked me to be Ethan's godfather, instead of James or Remus? All of you have been close to each other since you came to Hogwarts, Sirius even longer. Why not have one of them do it?" he posed. I filled the pot and put it on, and then looked at him holding my son, and looked away.

"We had discussed it, but, they didn't feel right. One of the things that you taught me, was to trust my instincts. One night, I was lying awake, thinking, and I realized that we owed a great deal to you. Not like we were indebted to you, more like, we needed to acknowledge what you'd provided to us. It was just something that felt, right. I know it sounds silly, but I read people quite well, and I also knew that it would make you happy," I told him, not looking at him, but instead busying myself getting out the supplies for our tea.

"Anwen, thank you, I do appreciate what you did, and it brings me comfort and joy. Also, I was very touched by what you had to say about Perenelle, at her service. She would have been very humbled, had she been able to hear it," he told me, shifting his weight back and forth, rocking Ethan. _He's very good with children, I can't believe he didn't ever have any of his own._

"She was very important to me. Not just as my mentor, but as my friend. She treated me as her equal, even though I was not. The world lost a jewel, but, I am so sure that she and Nicolas are embracing where ever they are now, and enjoying themselves," I said, wistfully. Albus nodded.

There was a whoosh in the fireplace, and the Potters paraded into my house. The first through was Harry, and the apologies started when he was into the kitchen.

"Aunt Winnie, I am so sorry that you had to deal with my stupidity at work today. I just got so angry at her, the things that she was saying about my Mum and Dad, when they weren't even in the room to defend themselves, it was awful. I tried to make it stop, but I couldn't. I don't really feel bad about it, she was nasty and rude. Don't like Uncle Vernon either, and that Dudley, he's just a thug..." Lily came in and he stopped talking.

"I told you to apologize to your Aunt for having to clean up your mess, not to bad mouth my sister's family. They're your family as well," his mother admonished Harry, and he looked around sheepishly.

"It was nothing really," I started. "The office of Underage magic told me to tell you that if you can't keep him under control around the Muggles, you'll need to temporarily bind his magic when he's with them," I explained and she nodded at me. Just then, James came in carrying Evan. "My advice, don't go near them again for another 15 years. By then, all of your kids will be old enough to not make this an issue," I said, and James agreed.

"My advice exactly. Anyway, you don't need any extra stress right now," he said, wrapping an arm around his wife and kissing her head. I got a good look at my best friend, and she looked different. I started at her for a moment, and then looked at how James was acting protectively, and the pieces fit together in my head. _Yeah, yeah, yeah._ I wanted to do a little happy dance, but I would have looked odd so I chose not to.

"Lily, anything you want to share with me?" I asked her, and she smiled, self–consciously.

"Well, I do have some news. It looks like Ethan will have a little playmate," she told me, and I danced a little as I went over to hug her.

"Oh, I am so happy for you, I know that you wanted another one," I said. "When are you due?"

"Mid-January. We are doing fine, and everything is progressing normally. I will need back those maternity clothes I lent you last year," she said.

"Not a problem, I boxed them all up and they are in the closet upstairs. I ended up wearing Sirius' shirts more than the tops anyway. I felt like I was drowning in fabric in them," I told her and she smiled, knowingly. "Still can't fit in my pre-pregnancy pants. It looked like they were going to fit for a while, but then they didn't," I concluded. When they both realized that Albus was in the room, they looked at him quizzically, and then they looked at me. I said nothing, instead returning myself to work.

I prepared an entire pot of tea, and also got out the dishes for dinner, and quickly threw together a salad. In no time, Sirius and Remus were back, Harry was particularly thrilled about the dinner choice.

"You know, this is the one thing that the House Elves just can't seem to make up at Hogwarts. Theirs is just awful, something like cheesy cardboard," he told us, and the Headmaster laughed at him.

"I have tried, my boy, to get them to try some Muggle pizza, so they have some idea of what it's supposed to be like, but they refuse, on principle I believe," Albus said, and Harry looked sad.

"That stinks. Guess I just need to eat it when I'm home," Harry said with a resigned tone.

Dinner carried on well, but I kept feeling worse and worse about what I was going to have to say to them all. _ I can't believe that I have to tell Lily, while she's pregnant, that the man who betrayed her and James so that the Dark Lord could get hold of her son, is free from prison. Oh, and the idiot can hide as a rat, so unless the Auror Department goes around blasting every rat in Great Britain, we are going to have a hard time finding him._ Sirius must have sensed my distance, because he reached over and stroked my shoulder and leaned over to me.

"What aren't you telling us?" he asked, and I looked at him. I couldn't lie to him, but I didn't want to say it twice. I decided that it was time to let the rat out of the bag. I swallowed hard, and then took a deep breath.

"You're probably all wondering why I asked you here, since I never call the family meetings; I'm sure that you're trying to figure out why Albus is here. Something happened today, something that is going to affect all of us," I said.

"Harry, why don't you take your brother upstairs and play in the Sitting Room. I finally convinced Anwen that we need a telly," Sirius said to his godson, and Harry started getting up.

"No, I think Harry needs to stay. This affects him too," I said, and Harry sat back down. Everyone looked worried. "There was a break out at Azkaban today. Peter Pettigrew is free. King and Mad–Eye are in charge of the investigation..."

"What did you say?" Lily asked, as tears started flowing and her shoulders began to shake. James put his arm around his wife.

"Peter has broken out of Azkaban," I said resolutely. Remus swore and Sirius hit the table. I looked at Harry, and he seemed genuinely scared. I told them what I knew of the breakout, the information that I had read just before I left the office. I confirmed what I knew, and what was being done. I also explained that I would be going back into active duty, after I passed a physical and proved that I could still duel. _I will be on active duty by the end of tomorrow, I'm sure._

Albus then took over, talking about how we were going to keep the Potters safe. Peter had never been to the farm or Grimmauld Place, so they were safer. Peter, however, had been to the Manor many times, and we had concerns about the wards. Albus made a radical suggestion, that we break the wards down completely, and ward the house again, from scratch.

"With your warding expertise, gentlemen, together we can create a stronger, more durable warding system, and then limit the number of people who can come through," he said. James was shaking his head.

"To do that, we will need to be out of the house for weeks. We can't ask our friends to put us up that long," James said.

"My home is yours," Sirius said.

"Actually, my home is theirs too, but since I don't live in the main house, you're welcome to it," Remus said, trying to make a joke, but none of us were laughing. _We should just let him have the house, we use it so rarely, I just can't quite bring myself to not be the owner of my childhood home._

"I would like to make another suggestion," Albus said, and we all turned to look at him. "I would like to suggest that you move into the Leaky Cauldron. I think that having you be that visible would give you added security. Peter would never risk going to Diagon Alley, I believe that having you be there, with Auror protection..."

"You want us all to go to the Cauldron for a few weeks, so all the houses can be re–warded or reinforced during the day, and we can act like a family on some sort of strange holiday at night. When the guys are gone, I'll be there to watch over Lily, Harry and Evan," I said, getting where he was going with this.

"You are very observant, Anwen. I do think that this would be the best way," he said, with a solemnity to his voice. We looked around the table, and I think that we all knew that Albus' plan was the best.

"Given the circumstances, it won't be hard for me to get put on special assignment. I'm not supposed to start teaching again until September, so it shouldn't be a problem. How soon should we move out of the houses?" I asked.

"I would think that the sooner we can get you all out, the better," Albus said. "Lily and James, I don't think that it would be safe for you to stay there even tonight. We have to assume that Peter will come after you and Harry first. Perhaps you should be heading home to pack up what you will need. We need to contact Tom and make sure that you have rooms made available to you." Lily was still crying, and James was doing his best to calm her down.

"Albus, Peter doesn't even know that Anwen purchased the farm. Are you sure that I need to move out as well?" Remus asked.

"Probably not, but I would like to see that we strengthen the wards on the farm as well. I would also like you to spend some time during the day with Anwen and Lily, just as an extra layer of security," he added, and Remus nodded at him. "There is another project that I think you may be able to help me with. If you would accompany me to Hogwarts when we are through tonight, it would be most helpful." Remus nodded, and it was clear that the meeting was ending. Albus made a few more remarks, and said that he would confer with us in a few days, once we were settled into the inn at Diagon Alley. Sirius went and fire called Tom, the Innkeeper at the Leaky Cauldron, and asked for three rooms near one another. _He's gotten Harry his own room. _I smiled at his kindness toward his godson.

The adults started getting up, Lily and I listing things that we would need to take for the boys; Remus and Albus heading toward the floo, and James and Sirius making a list of warding supplies that they would need, and what exactly they would be doing to the houses. We all stopped when we heard Harry's voice.

"What are we going to do if he does come after us? What am I supposed to do if he comes after me? What will happen when school starts?" he asked, suddenly sounding so much older than the 13 years old that he was.

"Harry, for the time being, we will make sure one of us is with you, or that you are around full grown witches and wizards who can protect you. Your Headmaster is right, you'll be safe as long as you stay on Diagon Alley," his father said, coming to put an arm around him.

"As for school, I believe that I have a way to make it safer for you as well," Albus said. Harry went to open his mouth, to ask what. "You will just have to wait and see, Mr. Potter," he concluded.

"We can work on your hand to hand training as well, Harry. If nothing else, you can punch his lights out and then run away. In addition, you know the number one rule of a duel, 'If you can get your hands on your opponents wand...'" I said.

"...break it," Harry finished.

"All right then, I think that we all have things to be doing. We'll see you in Diagon Alley in a little while. Lets think of it as an interesting holiday, shall we?" Sirius said, and I think we all looked at him skeptically.

Later that night, we had all settled into our rooms. Remus had made another set of communication mirrors, and tied them to the ones that James and Harry had. If any of the guys called each other, the other was alerted, but not Harry. Harry could call anyone on his mirror. Sirius also made sure that the charm on my bracelet and his watch were still working, which we were surprised that they were. I also inspected the charms on Harry's portkey/locater charm and shelter charm. Everything seemed to be in order, and I changed the portkey location to Hogwarts, knowing if there was a problem, the safest place for him to be would be up at the school. Tomorrow, I was going to make Ethan and Evan their own locater charms, just in case. We were sure that if need be, we could get in touch with each other.

Sirius and I changed into our bedclothes, and after I quickly checked on Ethan, we settled into the bed.

"I don't like the mattress, and the sheets are scratchy," he complained.

"Weren't you the one who was saying that we needed to think of this as a holiday?" I mockingly questioned him.

"Yes, I was, but I didn't think that it would be so uncomfortable," he complained again. "So, you want to give me the whole story about what happened out at Azkaban?" Sirius pulled me to him, and I laid my head on his chest.

"Fudge had cut the Wizarding guards in half. We used to make all trainee Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement personnel do at least one shift a week, but Cornelius didn't think that it was an effective use of funds, so he cut it down. Without having a witch or wizard physically there, the binding of his magic would have fluxed. At some point, he was able to change over, slip out between the bars and escape past the Dementors, since they wouldn't even register that he was there, being in his animal form and all. He could have been gone for almost 7 hours before anyone would have known. I don't know how fast a rat can swim, but he would have made it back to the mainland before we even knew he was gone. This is entirely Fudge's fault. He's cutting things in the wrong places, and damn him," I said. _What's going to happen next?_

"Anwen, Winnie love, try not to think about it. You don't look like you're sleeping well, and you barely ate anything," Sirius said, his hand stroking my spine.

"I was hungry, until I started eating, then it felt like the food was just sitting like a rock in my stomach. I haven't been feeling well for a while." I looked up at him, and worry passed over his face. "Don't worry, I'll be fine love. It's just my body reminding me I need to eat more while I am still feeding Ethan." He made one of his grumpy sounds. "Sirius, love, I'm fine. I have to see the Healer tomorrow anyway, to get a clean bill of health before I can go on active duty again. I am sure that they will find nothing wrong with me, other than my trying to be a working mother. Now, we both have work to do tomorrow. You need to de-ward the Manor, and I need to find out everything that I can. I appreciate that you and James will be working from here, so that I can have the day in the office. I am going to have to go in for a few hours a week, just to keep the paperwork from piling up. Maybe Tonks can come over when I'm gone, or Remus, or both of them..."

"Anwen, stop. We will figure it out, all of us, together. Come on now, you must be sleepy, close your eyes love, just rest. I love you," he whispered, and I felt my body relaxing.

"I love you too," I said, just before I fell to sleep.

**Sirius POV:**

_I knew that there was something not quite right about her. She should have stayed home today. She picked up some sort of a bug when she came back to work, and she just couldn't shake it, and now, she was just wearing herself down. She's okay, I can feel it; but she's feeling conflicted over something; happy and worried at the same time. I can't for the life of me think of what could be making her feel this way. She was headed to duel King when she called to check in a while ago, and then had to have her physical this afternoon. _ King had fire called me, to tell me that Anwen had passed out while they were dueling,_ it was the only time that he's bested her in the last 10 years_. James and I were working while Lily and Harry had taken the boys outside for a stroll when the call came through. James just waved his hand at me, and I took off, apparating to St. Mungo's.

I got to the desk in the Trauma department, and was greeted by a face that I recognized, but I couldn't figure out from where.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my wife, Anwen Hodgson-Black, she's an Auror. She was brought in by her partner this afternoon," I told her. She had the strangest look on her face.

"Sirius, Sirius Black? Is that you? I thought Anwen looked familiar when they brought her in. It's Helen, Helen Hawkingdon, we dated at the end of our fifth year, I was in Hufflepuff?" _Oh yeah, Helen. Hawkingdon is her last name, not sure I even remembered that. _"I'm not surprised that you and Anwen got married, she seemed to be the only girl who could ever hold your attention for more than two weeks. Anyway, she's in room 6. You can go down and see her, and by the way, congratulations," she said.

_Congratulations, for what, marrying Anwen, it was years ago and I didn't think that there was anyone who didn't know that I had married her – it was in all the papers after all._ I got to her room, and I pushed the curtain aside. Anwen was sitting on the bed, looking out the window. When she heard me, she turned to look at me. She had the gentlest smile on her face.

"Love, what happened? King said that you had passed out," I told her, coming and wrapping my arms around her. She leaned herself into me, and I could feel her relax.

"I felt so poorly this morning, I really didn't eat anything. I've been feeling so ill lately, I just figured that it was because I had gone back to work," she told me quietly.

"Anwen, what's wrong? Are you sick?" I asked her, she was driving me mad. _If there is something wrong with her...I can't even begin to think about it._

"Sirius, I'm not sick, and it's nothing that a little time won't make better, say, a little over 6 months," she said, the corners of her lips curling into a sweet smile.

"6 months, what's happening in 6 months? Love, you have me worried here," I told her.

"We're having another baby Sirius. The new Pup is due three weeks before Ethan's first birthday. Apparently, the whole, 'you can't get pregnant while breast feeding' thing, isn't fixed," she said. _Another baby, another sweet baby, how wonderful, how absolutely wonderful. _I picked her up and kissed her and then spun her around. "Sirius, I'm glad that you're happy, but spinning me around is a sure fire way to get me to redecorate the room, dear," she said, and I put her down. "So, you're happy?" she asked, not looking at me.

"Of course I'm happy. Ethan is the best thing I have ever done with my life," I told her, my hand going to the swell in her belly. _I thought that it was just left over from being pregnant with Ethan. _ I looked at Anwen, and she had started to cry. "Winnie, honey, what's the matter?" I asked her. _What if she's not happy, she was just about to get back to work._ "Aren't you happy?" She took a deep breath, and then looked up at me, tears still falling down her face.

"Um, I'm happy, I think?" She didn't sound it, and I was getting worried. "Sirius, it's nothing like that. We wanted to have more children, I just wasn't planning on doing it quite so soon. Really, we are going to have two children whose birthdays are almost exactly a year apart. I'm happy about Pup, really, I just wouldn't have done it this particular way," she said, and I knew my wife well enough to know that she was feeling overwhelmed. She was looking at the floor.

"Hey, look at me," I asked her, and she reluctantly turned her head towards me. "We're in this together. We will be fine, you're great at being a mom, and they can grow up with each other, and with the Potter kids. Not to mention, you are crazy beautiful and sexy when your pregnant," I told her and she smiled at me.

"That's how we got into this situation, love," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding me close. "I know we'll be fine, I think I'm just in shock. I'm going to be pregnant when a crazy dark wizard is on the hunt for us. I'm worried about our safety," she said, and I could feel her tears on my shirt. I just stood there, holding her, hoping my happiness could be enough for both of us for a while. "Come on, we need to go to the store, we need to start feeding Ethan formula. My body can't feed him, grow a baby and leave anything for me to live off of. That's why I passed out. One too many things for me to try to do. I think I need to tell Lily, our due dates are about 6 weeks apart," she smiled, and I took her hand and we left Hospital together.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hello there everyone, here's another chapter, continues where we left off with the family trying to act normal while all living at the Leaky Cauldron. Song for this chapter is: "The Scientist" by Coldplay, and it fits Sirius' mood toward the end of the chapter. I really appreciate everyone reading and reviewing, it's making some stuff in my real life easier to deal with. I don't own HP, and I am making absolutely no money off of this, so no infringement is intended; my only goal here is to have some fun with these characters. Mutt**

**Chapter 14:**

**A Strange Family Holiday**

**Sirius POV:**

"You're kidding me, you're going to be teaching at Hogwarts?" I spoke out, staring at Moony in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm the new Defense Professor. Albus thinks it's the best way to keep Harry safe, to have one of us on the campus. He wanted to ask Anwen, but didn't feel right about doing it, since she has Ethan. Also, if she moved into the school, you'd most likely come with her, and he didn't think Hogwarts would survive it's most infamous bad boy of recent history returning, no matter how reformed you may seem to be," he teased me.

"Wait a minute here, Moony. I have resigned my playboy ways. Once I figured out that I didn't just love, but that I was IN love with Anwen, well, things changed for me," I said, shifting Ethan in my arms. "Furthermore, I have this little guy, and the new Pup to be worried about. I've got to set the right example," I said.

"Then, the whole turning James purple last week, that was the right example?" he questioned. It was true, I had indeed pranked James last week, and he had indeed turned purple, but he deserved it. He had let me walk into a stinging barrier that he knew was there, while we were working on the wards at the Manor. I just put a slight skin darkening hex on his pumpkin juice the next morning; the fact that it made him purple was an added bonus. It was fun, all of us living together, even if it wasn't under the best of circumstances.

"Well, maybe not, but when the kids get older, I'll make sure that we keep the pranking to a minimum," I said. Moony started laughing. "Does that mean that you'll keep your activities with your wife to a minimum as well? I mean really, she got pregnant again, two and a half months after giving birth?"

"What can I say, I'm talented and my wife is in love with me," I said proudly. "She puts up with all of me."

"That I am, and what am I putting up with now?" Anwen said, entering the small, private dining room off the main dining room that we had sort of commandeered during our stay. It doubled as a work space as well as a place for us to take our meals. We had been here for over two weeks, and the warding projects were just about finished. It was decided that we would stay until Harry left for school next week. There was safety in numbers.

"Apparently, my excessively amorous ways," I said to her over my shoulder.

"I see," she said, kissing me lightly and then stroking Ethan's head. He had fallen asleep, and I didn't want to put our almost five month old son down. She turned and looked at Moony, putting her hands on her hips "Remus, stay out of our love life. I knew what I was getting into, and you don't hear me complaining," she cocked her eyebrow at him. "Now, do you need any more help with your lesson plans?"

"No, I think I have an idea of what I'm going to start with. I hate that I have to have people cover for me, when I'm, um, recovering; but it's how it has to be," he told us.

"If you ever need me to come up and teach for you, just owl me. I would be happy to, just make it before March or wait a few months. I think I might be a little busy to take time off to come to Hogwarts," she said, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder, before settling herself down next to me.

"Hey, I'd be more than willing to come up and help out too," I added. He looked at me skeptically.

"Well, if I get desperate, maybe..." he trailed off, and I swatted him with my free hand. _ I really am reformed, can't anyone recognize that?_

"Have you talked to Severus about using his lab to brew your Wolfsbane?" Anwen asked, changing the subject, while gently stroking my back. She was sending me a great deal of love right now.

"I have, he won't let ME brew it, but said that he is willing to provide it for me. I think I'll check to make sure that it is indeed brewed correctly before I take it. Albus swears that he has changed, that his allegiance is to him and the school, but I'm still skeptical," Moony said quietly, and I nodded my agreement.

"So, are you going to tell Harry before you leave for school, or are you going to let him have a heart attack when he gets to Defense on the first day, and there is his Uncle, teaching the class?" I asked and Remus grinned rather deviously at me.

"James and I have discussed that, and we have decided that this was something that was best left as a surprise," he said. _And they tell me I need to grow up? They're ambushing James' 13 year old son. _"He'll figure it out before class however, since I am going to ride the train up as well, Albus is worried, and since they are technically not supposed to be doing magic on the train, well, it would be better if there were a trained Wizard aboard," he said, and we nodded at him.

The Potters came in, and the conversation turned to other things. Harry had been spending time out on Diagon Alley, visiting the shops and doing some window shopping as well. James had taken him to Gringotts and to his vault. Harry was amazed at all the things that were contained there, and he had brought back some older books about the Potter family, becoming obsessed with things his distant relatives had done. However, when the new Firebolt was put out to be viewed at the Quidditch store, everything else paled in comparison. We ordered our dinners, and when Tom left, Harry started up again.

"It's got variable speed breaking, so that you can slow down and then take off again, really quickly," he said. _ I swear that he has memorized all the specs for the thing._

"Harry, we know that you like the broom, quite a bit, but you are not taking the money out of the bank to buy it. Not when you have a perfectly good, no actually, exceptionally good broom already," Lily said, with a quiet resolve to let Harry know that the topic was to be dropped. _Well, maybe Mum and Dad won't let him buy it, but no one said anything about my buying it._

"Don't even think about it," Anwen whispered in my ear. _Can she read my thoughts now?_

"Winnie, have you heard from the Weasleys? When are they expected back?" James asked.

"I have, Ginny has written me a few times. They're Portkeying back tomorrow. They're stopping in Romania, to drop off Charlie and then they will be into London. They've taken rooms here too, staying until the kids head out on the Express," she explained. Conversation flowed as we waited for our food and when Harry was sure that no one was listening, he leaned across the table to talk with my wife.

"Really, how did Ginny sound?" he asked.

"Harry, really, she sounded good. By the time we left the safe house, she was much, much better. She just needed to have time to process everything, but she's enjoying Egypt a great deal. She's had some alone time with Bill too, which has helped. He is her favorite brother, but don't tell Ron that. I think that it's healed her a lot. She told me to tell you hello, and to thank you again," she said to him, and Harry nodded at her. We talked a while longer, Harry excited about taking Care of Magical Creatures when school was starting. He wasn't as thrilled with taking Divination, Lily was even less so.

"I wish I knew why you picked Divination. Really, Harry. Anything else would have been more acceptable. Divination is bunk and a waste of time and...argh you're wasting your education," she said, again, her frustration evident in her clenched fists.

"Mum, I know that you're not happy, but it was my choice," Harry said.

"But you signed up for it because it's what Ron was taking, really, is that any way to make choices such as these?"

"Mum, that's not the only reason," he said quietly. "Because of what happened, because of my prophecy, I thought that it might make sense to understand them," he added. Lily was quiet.

"All right then," she said, "but I still expect you to do your best," she concluded. Ethan started to stir. Anwen had brought his carrier down from our room, and I had put him in it earlier so that I could eat. She went to go and get him out, but she hadn't touched her food.

"Anwen, let me feed him, please. You haven't eaten much of anything, again," I scolded her.

"Sirius, I just can't. The peppermint potion isn't working this year. Only a few more weeks, and then it should calm down, if being pregnant with Ethan was any indication," she sighed, picking him up and getting his bottle ready. "Anyway, I miss feeding him," she added quietly. She nestled our son into her arms, and started trying to feed him. He wasn't crazy about the bottle, and started spitting it out. He knew that it was Mummy that was holding him, and he kept trying to latch onto her, even through her clothes. It was rather comical, except that I could tell it was breaking my wife's heart. After a few minutes, she gave up, tears in her eyes. "He won't take it from me, here Sirius, you do it," she said, on the verge of really crying. She thrust our son into my arms and left the bottle on the table. "Excuse me please," she said, getting up and leaving the room. I wanted to go after her, but Ethan wanted to eat badly.

"I'll go Sirius, she'll be fine, it's hard to wean a baby to a bottle, you feel like you're losing a connection with your child. Anwen had to do it rather quickly, I'm sure it feels devastating for her," Lily explained, getting up. She grabbed some bread and fruit and took off after my wife.

**Anwen POV:**

_It wasn't fair, I like feeding Ethan, I liked that it was time that was ours alone, but together. Everything was changing so fast, I had only had a few months alone with him, and now, I was pregnant with his little sister or brother. He wouldn't ever remember it just being the three of us. _ I had run out of the Cauldron, and was sitting on a bench outside in the courtyard. I was just so tired of crying in front of everyone. I might be a powerful witch, but lately, I was simply a fountain.

"Hey, I know you don't want to eat anything, but you've got to. That little one there needs to grow," a gentle, familiar voice said to me. Lily sat down next to me, and handed me the slice of bread that she had brought out. I took it from her and broke off a bit and started eating.

"I know, it's just, if I don't eat, I don't vomit," I told her.

"That may be true, but you don't want to end up in hospital again. Healer Wickman will put you in and force those awful strengthening potions down your throat. Believe me, that would be far worse. Come on, only a few more weeks," she said, handing me an apple that she had magically sliced up. We sat there for a few minutes, me slowly eating to make sure that it was going to stay down. "Anwen, really, how do you feel about being pregnant again?" she questioned me, and I didn't figure that I was going to evade this conversation any longer.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because it's not like when you were pregnant with Ethan last year. You were so happy, it just sort of flowed off of you. Sirius is just as thrilled, maybe more so, but you seem, I don't know, guarded about it," she said, and I started crying. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. I leaned my head over on my friend's shoulder. "Oh, Anwen, tell me what's wrong," she begged.

"It's not that I'm not happy, it's just that...it took King and me four years to get Peter the first time, and it was the worst time of my life. I had to relive some things with Ginny that I would have preferred to leave buried, and then, this happens; it just sort of feels like everything is falling apart. I want more children, really I do, but I am so scared about what we are bringing them into. It just all feels like it's happening too fast. I don't know if we're ready," I cried.

"We're not talking about babies anymore, are we?" Lily said quietly. I shook my head."You think Voldemort is coming sooner, rather than later, don't you," she asked me. I nodded. "Have you told anyone else your concerns?" I shook against her again. I felt her shudder against me.

"Lils, I don't think it will be this week or even this year, but it won't be as long as we'd like it to be. Harry isn't going to make it to adulthood before Voldemort rears his ugly head again. If something happens, now that Peter is out, I'm not sure how much good I'm going to be. I'm already conflicted between duty and my responsibility as a mum," I confided quietly.

"Anwen, you have no more duty than the rest of us," she said emphatically.

"That's not true, Lil. I'm the one who can project a shield over Harry, at really far distances. I am the one who can find him, regardless of where he is. I'm the trained dueler, a rather fierce fighter if I may say so myself. I do have more responsibilities. I just hope that I'm not so distracted as a mum that I let my duty to Harry slide, and leave him vulnerable," I told her.

"Anwen, you can't expect to carry that weight alone. He's much better trained than he was when he was younger, and with Remus at school with him, he'll be much safer. We are all trained at dueling, you saw to that. We can still protect Harry, all of us, his family, together. Look, you've got enough to worry about, how about if you try to NOT carry the weight of the world, at least for right now?" she suggested, and I nodded again. "Good, now, finish at least these things up, and then we can go and try to find something else that will sit well on your stomach."

"You know what I would really enjoy?"

"No, but I think that you should tell me. Sirius would be thrilled if you could find something that you want to eat," Lily was smiling as she spoke.

"Ice cream, Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream, in a waffle cone, with chocolate chips and sprinkles on it. That's sounds wonderful," I told her, my eyes dancing at the prospect.

"Then I think that we are off for some ice cream. Florean Fortescue has taken quite a shine to Harry, he's been eating his weight in ice cream since we've been here. I swear, that man is trying to fatten him up," Lily said, getting up with a groan and a little stumble.

"Feeling a little out of balance there, Lil?" I asked, grabbing her elbow.

"Just feeling my age. I know thirty-three isn't old, but it sure feels old some days. Come on, lets go feed these babies some delicious frozen chocolaty goodness," she said, holding a hand to help me up. I was still holding onto the apple core, and I quickly made it disappear, and wiped my hands off on my robes.

"So, what do you think you're having, boy or a girl?" I asked her, as we headed from the courtyard out onto the street proper. A nice light conversation seemed in order, at least something lighter than the one that we had been having.

"I know what I'm having. Don't tell James, but after my last appointment, I had the medi-witch look, just to tell me. It's a girl, Winnie. We're going to have a little girl," she beamed at me. I hugged her. _She wouldn't have ever said it out loud, but I knew after having two boys, she really wanted a girl. This would probably be her last pregnancy, and I knew this would make her immensely happy._

"When are you going to tell James?" I asked as I pulled away from her.

"Eventually, but for right now, I'm happy with just knowing for myself. What about you? Do you know? Are you going to find out before the baby gets here this time?" She peppered me with questions.

"I don't know, it was too early to tell yet when we had our appointment, and I don't know if we'll find out or not when next we go. It was kind of pleasant to be surprised when Ethan was born. It's interesting though, right before Perenelle died, she told me she saw me with two little girls, who were playing in a field. They looked enough alike to be sisters, but they were not, and that they would be strong in their magic," I said, remembering the day. In her last days, Perenelle would seem to look off into the distance and then tell us things, Albus and me. Her mind was going, and I never knew if I should take what she had to say seriously or not. "It was one of the last things she said to me, I wonder if she was seeing our daughters together?"

"Anwen, don't tell me that you believe in Divination now?"

"No, as a rule, no. But, this is Perenelle I'm talking about. She had my faith in her abilities, regardless of what they were. Wouldn't it be wonderful, if we were to have daughters together?"

"I can only hope they'd be as close as we are," Lily said, smiling. We got our ice cream and headed back to the Inn. Everyone was still in the dining room.

"I see you found something that agrees with you?" Sirius said as I walked in, still licking my cone.

"Yes, I did. I guess I will have to live on ice cream until my stomach feels better. Poor me," I feigned being put out.

"Yes, poor you. Ethan ate and now he's playing with Harry and Evan," Sirius said, pointing to the corner, where the three boys were on a blanket together. Harry was holding Ethan up, and rolling a ball to his little brother.

"Hey, they're back, and you got ice cream without me, no fair," Harry complained.

"Because you've had a shortage of it lately, mister," his mother said, raising her eyebrow.

"Fine, Mum. Can we go now?" he asked impatiently.

"Come on, let's go," James said, getting up. Sirius stood as well. Harry got up, and handed Ethan to Sirius and Evan followed his big brother. They all left the room quickly. _Too quickly, what are they up to?_

"What are they up to, Remus?" Lily asked the only remaining Marauder. _Great minds think alike._

"They're going flying," he said quietly.

"What! They're taking the babies flying, are they crazy?" I screamed, but when we tried to leave, I realized that Sirius had warded the door. Remus broke out in great rumbles of laughter.

"So much for his responsible side," he said, shaking his head. It only took a minute to break the ward, it wasn't very strong, but it was too late. By the time we reached the back door, we saw three brooms flying slowly over the field at the end of the Alley.

**Sirius POV:**

"I can't believe we leave tomorrow. I wonder who the new Professor will be for Defense. I hope they're better than Lockhart. I swear we didn't learn a thing last year," Hermione said, coming to sit down at the rather large table that had been set up for us all. She had arrived yesterday. I looked at Remus, who had his head down, immensely interested in his mashed potatoes. I looked at James and he just grinned at me. _Good to know that some things never change._

"Hermione, do you know that your cat here doesn't seem to want to leave me alone?" I said to her. Her copper colored cat, Crookshanks, was purring at my feet.

"She's a girl, just attracted to your charms Mr. Black. Mr. Potter was telling us about your rather extensive dating history while you were in school," she sniggered, and I groaned. _I could only imagine what Prongs had been saying. I knew he was trying to get me back for walking in on him and Lily in a rather passionate kiss the other day, but they were in the dining room, so it isn't like they were expecting any privacy._

"You call my wife Aunt Winnie, why do you have to call me Mr. Black. Uncle Sirius, or just plain Sirius would be fine," I told her.

"No, I think it would be more proper this way. So, how many girls did you date?" she queried.

"Too many, but the one he didn't date was his wife. Took him almost two more years before he got up the courage," Lily added. _Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have teased them when I found them, but it was pretty funny, they both turned beet red._

"Wait, you didn't date Aunt Winnie at school?" I shook my head at her. " But, you did know her, right?"

"We were best friends. Well, there was that one date," I said. Winnie looked up and shook her head.

"No, that was a mercy date, because you had run off my boyfriend, it wasn't a real date," she said.

"I only ran him off because he was snogging another girl in the Potions Lab. We did have that kiss that night, sort of made it like a date," I reminded her.

"Yes, we did snog, but I believe that I asked you not to do it again when it was over? Can't believe it took you so long to try it again," she smirked back at me. "Perhaps it was the volume of snogging in the sixth floor broom closet that kept you from me?"

"Wait, you dated other people, after you kissed Aunt Winnie? Mister Black, just what kind of lothario were you?" Hermione asked.

"Look Hermione, it was a long time ago, just leave it alone, or I'll have to share some of James' more interesting conquests. Um, let's see there was the Head Girl, our fifth year, what was her name again..." I said, and Lily held her hand up.

"Enough you two, they're only 13. Hermione, that is a beautiful cat you have there," she added, changing the subject. I looked down the table at James, knowing that this probably wasn't over, but it had at least stopped for now.

"Thank you. I'm quite excited to have her. The shopkeeper told me that she had been there for a while, that no one wanted her. I think that she's beautiful, and she's quite smart as well," Hermione added proudly.

_**Sirius Black, there is danger near by.**_

_What was that? Am I hearing things? It sounded like someone just told me that there is danger near by._

_**Sirius Black, I am telling you, there is danger near by. Someone has come for your family.**_

"Hey, did anybody else hear that? Someone just said that there was danger near by," I said out loud. Everyone at the table stopped and looked at me. "I swear, I heard a voice, and it said that there was danger. That they had come for my family," I explained. They all still just looked at me.

"Uncle Sirius, it's never a good thing to be hearing voices," Harry added, smirking at me. _It must just be in my head._

"Maybe I just heard a group of conversations, and I threaded them together in my head. Never mind," I said, going back to my food. _ I know that I heard something, or at least I was sure that I had._ I looked down the table at my wife. She was sitting next to Ginny, who had Ethan on her lap. The two were in quiet, but happy conversation. She had asked Remus to make her a set of mirrors for her and Ginny to have, in case Ginny needed to talk while she was away at school. Ginny had brought her back an enchanted necklace from Egypt, one to help bring her strength and calm. Ginny was less than thrilled though when Anwen was able to read the Hieroglyphics herself. It had apparently taken Ginny days to research what she wanted it to say, and Anwen read it straight away.

"Take Ancient Runes when you can, it makes reading all the old languages easier," she told her. "Unlike Harry down there, who has a real gift for languages, and he refuses to use it," she chastised him, again, for not taking Runes this year.

"Aunt Winnie, I have never liked them. Please don't make me go over this again," Harry begged her, and my wife relented. Just then, Crookshanks jumped up in my lap and stared at me in the face.

_**"Sirius Black, you are not hearing things, I am talking to you. I am Crookshanks, and I know that you can hear me,**_" _Okay, who hexed me?_ _**"I can talk to you because of your dog persona. I am telling you, that there is trouble near by. Someone has come for you and your family. They are on the floor by the shadows to your left,**_" the cat said. _I'm listening to a cat. In the name of all that is holy, I swear that I will get James for this one._

Just then the cat sprang from my lap and ran toward my left. I heard it screech and hiss and then saw something dart out of the shadows and run toward the door. _Merlin, that looks like a rat._ I stood up and drew my wand and ran after the thing. It ran across the room and under a table. I tried to chase after it, but there were people sitting there. The rat darted out from behind the table, but Crookshanks was there, and it did an about face and ran the other way. It was headed for the door out into Muggle London. I ran for the door, hoping to get to it before the rat got there. I was firing stunning hexes and immobilizing curses, but I had to be careful not to hit the other patrons in the bar. I thought I had it, when I saw the rat squeeze under the door, and escape. I turned around and looked at my friends and family, they were all in shock.

"What the hell was all of that about?" Anwen asked me, looking as white as a sheet.

"Um, Hermione's cat told me that there was danger, and that it was because of that rat," I told them, realizing just how silly it must sound as the words left my mouth.

"Her cat told you?" Anwen sighed. "All right, who hexed Sirius, amazing joke, but really, who did this to him?" No one raised their hands, in fact, everyone was looking at each other.

"Wait, James, you didn't do this?" I asked him. He shook his head at me. "You either, Remus?" He shook his head as well.

"Hermione, did they tell you anything about this cat when you bought it?" Winnie asked the young witch.

"No. I didn't ask either, why?"

"Just a hunch. Sirius, pick the cat up again, and ask it a question," she said, I looked at her, thinking that she may have lost her mind now. _She wants me to talk to a cat?_ "Humor me, love, please." I shook my head and did what she asked. "What's your name?" _I feel like an idiot here. I'm asking a cat a question._

_**"My name is Crookshanks, and I told you that already. I'm part kneazle, and that was indeed Peter Pettigrew. He's after your child, since your wife put him in jail," **_I heard the cat say.

"She told me that she is part kneazle, and that it was Peter Pettigrew that we were chasing," I said. _ I wasn't going to tell Anwen the last part if I could help it. She doesn't need the stress, not while she's pregnant. I'll tell the guys later._

"The kneazle would explain it. Probably can speak to the part of Sirius' brain that houses Padfoot's mind and memories. Wow," Lily said. "I wonder if it will work with Anwen and James? Here Winnie, try to talk to the cat for a moment." Winnie got up and came over to take Crookshanks from my lap, but then simultaneously Crookshanks shied away, and Anwen bristled.

"I don't think that this will work, you know. I can hear her, but there are some gut instincts going on there. The whole bird and cat thing. One of us is bound to think of the other as dinner. Maybe James should try," she said, backing away and going to sit back down. James came and took the cat and stared at it for a minute.

"I can hear her, but she says she doesn't like talking with me as much. Apparently, deer are not her favorite animals, one tried to stomp on her a few years back," he said, handing the cat back to me. I instinctively started stroking her back, and she curled up in my lap. _Doesn't like birds or deer, but feels perfectly safe sitting in a dog's lap. This is one strange cat._

"Well, that is one interesting pet you have there, Hermione. Only you would end up with the fully sentient and intelligent cat," Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"I think it's brilliant, Ronald," Hermione said, coming over to me. She held out her arms, and Crookshanks jumped right into them. "She can warn us if there's danger near by, can't you girl," she cooed at her cat. Ron and Harry both made retching noises. Dinner carried on, but the warning about Peter wanting to come after Anwen and Ethan had me worried, but I was sure of one thing: _Nothing was going to hurt my family._

That night after Anwen, Lily and the kids were in bed, I was down in the back of the bar with James and Remus. We were sharing a bottle of Firewhiskey, I didn't have to tell them something was wrong, it was apparently written all over my face.

"What aren't you telling your wife?" Remus asked me.

"Crookshanks told me something else. Peter is after Anwen and Ethan. He's apparently quite put out that Anwen put him in Azkaban. I don't know how worried to be, this is Peter after all. He wasn't ever very good at his spell work, and he needed one of us to change him over for the first two years; but he also betrayed us all to Voldemort. He could be dangerous," I told them, looking at both sides of the equation.

"Sirius, your wife isn't helpless; she's far from it. The chance of Peter being able to get hold of Anwen is slim. As for Ethan, we'll just make sure that we keep him with one of us," James said. I looked over at him, concern still filling me. "I know something about keeping my son safe from Death Eaters. If we did it for Harry, we can do it for Ethan," he added and I knew that he understood. We polished off the bottle, and Remus headed home. James and I sat there for a while longer.

"How did you do it? All those years, knowing what danger was out there for Harry? How did you handle it?" I asked him.

"I didn't have a choice. Still don't. I wake up every day and ask for one more day for him to be safe, and I go to bed every night thankful that we made it through the day. It's the only way I could have handled the last 14 years," he told me quietly. I hadn't ever thought about how hard it must have been on him to know that his child was carrying the weight of the world. "You'll learn to do it too, you'll learn to take the little moments and every day that he's safe as a gift; and if someone comes too close, you'll act first and think about it later," his hands were fingering the empty glass, rolling it back and forth. "Sirius, you do know that you can do this, right?" he asked me. I shook my head at him. "You've been doing it for years, man. Harry's alive because you've been doing this for years."

I thought about what he said until I was ready to fall asleep on the barstool. I went back upstairs and slid into bed next to Anwen and she rolled herself over to me, putting her hand on my chest. _She didn't need to know this, not right now. For now, this is mine alone to worry about._


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hello all of my fine readers, hope that you're having a good week. I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have put the story or I on Author alert this week alone. It seems like every time that I open my mailbox, there's another alert. I wasn't going to post this quickly, but my remarkable and amazing beta Peter (My Ginevra) has a been working rapidly, and I now have a backlog of already edited chapters. My personal life is a bit of a mess, so I am simply thrilled when there is a bright spot in my day now...and getting a review would most definitely constitute such. I know there is more than one person reading, and yet, it's the only review I ever have. Please, for me, your very faithful and productive writer, just a word about how things are going...done begging. I don't own HP and no profits are being made from the creation of this story, the world of HP belongs to others -- Anwen and these situations are all my own.**

**Mutt**

**Chapter 15:**

**Treat then Trick**

**Anwen POV:**

"What the hell were the dementors doing anywhere near the train? Azkaban is miles away, hundreds of miles away," Lily screamed at the mirror. _Darn she can be scary. Those pregnancy hormones were affecting Lily worse than I remembered. I wonder if I'm that frightening?_

"Fudge insisted that they be posted near the students, to look for Peter. Albus is livid, but his hands are tied. If he resists, Fudge will make life very hard for him or move to have him removed all together. He's still trying to live down what Malfoy did at the end of the last school year," Remus said back. We were all sitting at the kitchen table at the Manor. We had moved Lily and James back home after the train to Hogwarts left London this afternoon. We were having a family meeting, only Remus was speaking to us through a wall mirror that we had enchanted to work with the pocket mirrors. It was propped up on a chair, so it was almost like he was sitting with us.

"And they came after Harry? James, its not safe for him to be at school," my best friend blurted out. "Maybe we should bring him home, let us teach him here. Hell, between the four of us, we can cover all the Hogwarts curriculum at least as well as the staff can, no offense Remus," Lily added quickly.

"We are not bringing him home, Lily. He's fine at school with Albus and Remus," James said, trying to calm his wife.

"Lily, I did a patronus charm and made them go away. Albus has forbade them from coming on the grounds, so as long as Harry is at school, he's safe. It was rather comical when the kids found me on the train. You would have thought that I was dressed in a pink tutu and your toe shoes Winnie," he said, smiling at me. "They just stood there, their mouths open, catching flies. It was priceless," Remus smiled at us. _It was good to see him smile. He so often sheltered himself away from people, this would be good for him._

"Anything else of consequence at dinner tonight?" Sirius asked him.

"Nothing other than Severus muttering under his breath as I was introduced. He really wanted the job. I suppose that it makes sense, in some kind of warped way. Who better to teach Defense against the Dark Arts than someone who is obsessed with them," Remus mused, _almost cracking a joke there, wow this is a whole other side of him._

"It's no stranger than hiring a dark creature to teach them," Sirius joked back and we all laughed.

"Well, if there is nothing else from Hogwarts, I have some stellar news from the Ministry," I piped up, clearly speaking sarcastically.

"Please, do tell us what our beloved Minister of Magic has done now," my husband said, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me to him.

"How did you know it's Fudge?" I asked him.

"Because, when you talk about him, your eyebrow twitches involuntarily. What did he do today?"

"There will be no incoming Auror class next fall. He wants us to devote our time to the search for Peter. So, in his infinite wisdom," I cleared my throat, "he decided that we have enough trained Aurors. Granted, we still have to train the three classes that we have going through the program already, but it will save so much time if we don't have any first year students," I spat out. "We have the Quidditch World Cup next summer, and then there is some project that Albus is promoting. We don't have enough trained witches and wizards to patrol up at Azkaban, and now he's moved some of the Dementors away from there as well. Plus, we need to start a full scale hunt for a Death Eater who evaded capture for four years when we were looking for him in the first place. Seems like the perfect time to stop training Aurors, doesn't it?" I stopped to calm myself down. "I swear that man's head is up his arse." Everyone was staring at me.

"Anwen, I don't think that I've ever heard you say something that like about someone else," James said, his mouth hanging open.

"I know, it's just...my department is the one that's being spread thin, which means that my friends are the ones that are going to pay the price, and it's my family that's being put at risk. He's such...a.....politician," I sighed, leaning myself against my husband.

"Anwen, this family is better trained than many of the Aurors. You saw to that. We're going to be fine," Remus spoke calmly, and I nodded at him. I appreciated his being the voice of calm in this gathering storm.

We talked for a few minutes more and then Remus decided to sign out for the night. We agreed that we would meet weekly, unless something came up that required immediate attention.

**Sirius POV:**

"Anwen, I can't believe that we are doing this. Why are you putting our baby in a costume? We're only taking him up to the castle," I asked her. It was Halloween and since Harry had been confined to the castle for his own safety, we were going up to have afternoon tea with Remus and Harry and the rest of the Potter family. Ginny had asked if she could join us, since she was too young to go into Hogsmeade as well. I was climbing the stairs to the fourth floor, to our son's room. We had adapted my old room for him. It was still all in Gryffindor colors, but his crib and the rocker had been moved up, and the bed had been shrunk and put in the wardrobe for the time being. We had hired Mr. Silverman to paint another mural, this one was of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, with Gryffindor playing. The Seeker bore a striking resemblance to my godson. Ethan loved to watch the players flying around the pitch as he dozed off to sleep. I had also sealed the secret hiding space, so that he didn't accidentally get himself into it. When he was older, I would unseal it.

"Because, its Halloween, and he looks very cute in it. My mother made it for him, and it won't fit next year. He is going to wear it, and we are going to take pictures and send them to her. Anyway, Evan is wearing his costume as well," she said. I looked down at my son, decked out in a full lion costume. _Of course, Anwen was right, he was darn cute, and Ma had done an excellent job with the costume, but it did seem a bit much, just for tea. He was only 7 months old._ I scooped my son up from the floor where his Mummy had been dressing him and threw him in the air.

"Of course Daddy's little man looks good, he's a Gryffindor lion after all, we're all handsome blokes," I said as I caught him. I then had to stifle a laugh as I watched Anwen attempting to get up off the floor. She was showing much sooner in this pregnancy, and it seemed that the baby was higher. It had thrown poor Winnie's balance completely off. I offered her my hand and she gladly accepted it, getting herself to her feet.

"How are my girls," I asked my wife, kissing her and then kissing her belly. We had found out last week that Anwen was carrying a girl. _I had figured that she wouldn't want to know, like when she was pregnant with Ethan; but this time, when we were asked, she seemed downright giddy at the idea of knowing. I didn't care, as long as she and the baby were healthy, either way it would be fine with me. When the medi-witch told us it was a girl, Anwen seemed overjoyed. I couldn't know why, but I accepted anything that brought the light back into her eyes. She seemed so distracted and upset over Peter and things at work._

"We're good, although your daughter has been craving oranges lately. I swear, my skin is going to change pigment with the number that I've been eating. She summoned one from the bowl on the table the other day. I can't imagine having to oblige her magic while she's still inside," my wife smiled at me. "Would make my doing any spell work almost impossible, which would be bad right now," she added, looking far less happy.

"Well, I guess that just means that I will have to stay all that much closer to you, love," I told her, kissing her. I was enjoying the feel of her lips on mine, until Ethan swatted me in the face to remind me he was there.

"I think someone wants to get going. We need to be in Hogwarts in about 10 minutes. Do we need to call Remus, or should we just floo to his quarters?" I asked her.

"He's expecting us, and has set the floo to let our families through. Come on, I know that Ethan's godfather would like to see him as well, and Minerva will be livid if the boys are in the castle and she doesn't get to play with them," she told me.

"Anwen, have I told you today that I love you?" I asked my wife. I could feel her love course through her as a response to mine. _I loved that I could feel her heart skip a beat when I tell her that I love her._

"You have, but it's nice to hear. I love you too, darling, more and more each day," she said, again kissing me.

"Daddy loves you," I said, picking up the shirt of Ethan's costume to kiss his belly. I then blew raspberries on his tummy, and our little boy laughed. "Daddy loves you too, sweetheart," I cooed as I lifted Anwen's shirt and kissed her belly again. I stood up, and Anwen was shaking her head and rolling her eyes at me. I just smiled at her. We started down the stairs, and Anwen gasped.

"Love, what's wrong," I asked her worried.

"I'm fine, what's that on your arm, love?" She was pointing at the bottom of the short sleeve of my shirt. I quickly turned away, so that she couldn't reach it, as I was still holding Ethan. I kept walking.

"Yeah, I was going to show you later. See, James lost a bet, and I made him go with me to get some new art," I told her. She stopped on the stairs and stared at me with the most bemused look.

"Let me get this straight. James lost a bet with you, so you both went and got tattoos?" she asked. I nodded at her. "This have anything to do with that night last week when you came home, well, drunk after work?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head.

"You out drank James, so that you could take him to get a tattoo? I could care less if you get more art, as long as it's about me," she said, batting her eyelashes. "But Lily is going to kill James. You know that right?" she asked me, and I nodded at her. "Oh, she's going to blame you?"

"She can't stay mad at me, not for long, anyway. She never could, even in our first year at school," I told my wife, and she smiled knowingly.

"So, are you going to let me see it?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows up under her fringe.

"Yes, but, it's not about you," I told her. _It's not about you, but you're going to love it. _I watched as her face fell.

"It's not? Is it charmed for protection or strength or something?" she asked, and I shook my head at her. I couldn't take it though, as tears started to form in her eyes. _Darn pregnancy hormones, I can't even mildly prank my wife without her getting all weepy. _I could feel her mood shifting, and I didn't want that.

"Come and look, love," I told her, turning my arm to her. She lifted my sleeve, and ran her fingers over it.

"Aww, Sirius, it's....perfect," she said reverently. I had two small black pups on my arm, Ethan's name was under the first. Her mood instantly changed, but she was still crying.

"I'll add our daughter's name when she's born, and if we have any more children, I can add them too. Padfoot's pups will always be with me," I told her, putting my forehead against hers.

"If, if we have more children? When, darling, when. I want a big family, all with beautiful eyes like their daddy. I love it," she sighed, gently kissing me. "Come on, let's get going, I can't wait to see what James ended up with," she grinned at me. We climbed down the rest of the stairs, and Anwen grabbed the diaper bag and we flooed to Hogwarts.

Remus had decorated up his quarters surprisingly well. _Granted, he was the only one of us who actually made their bed with any regularity when we were in school, and he was a hell of a lot neater than me when we lived in the little house in London, but this place was nice._ Anwen and Lily were sitting on the small couch. Harry and Ginny were on the floor with the boys. Moony was sitting at his desk, his chair turned around to face the rest of the room. James was sitting in the reading chair by the fireplace and I was setting on the arm of the couch.

"I can't believe that you made him go with you. What were you thinking, a tattoo, really? He's so much more dignified than that," Lily said, very flustered.

"Lily, you know that's not true, he already has one. Anyway, I think that it's sweet. He has all of your names over his heart, and unless he's planning on parading around without his shirt on, the only one who will ever see it, is you," Anwen reminded her.

"Why are you always so rational?" Lily questioned Anwen, and then sighed. "It is sweet. But no more," she said, wagging her finger for effect.

"Wait. You said he already had one. What tattoo do you already have Dad?" Harry asked.

We all looked at each other, and then James started to speak slowly. "During the first war, there was an organization that Dumbledore started, to fight against Voldemort. We all have matching charmed tattoos, except for your mother," he told his son.

"Why doesn't Mum have one? Weren't you part of the group," he asked his mother.

"I was. I just wear a charm, much like the one that Aunt Winnie gave you," Lily replied. I knew that they were being careful not to give away too much information.

"Oh. Okay," he said.

"Well, not that I want to see your Dad or Uncle Sirius or definitely not Professor Lupin without their shirts on," Ginny said, making a face at Moony's name, "but, I think tattoos are cool," she said.

"I'll remember that," Harry said, looking over at the young girl. She proceeded to blush. The exchange wasn't lost on any of the adults in the room. Anwen and Remus smiled, James looked proud and Lily looked like she would cry.

"Don't ever tell my Mum, but Bill has a hieroglyph on his shoulder blade, and Charlie has a dragon on his ankle. They keep them well hidden when Mum's around, because she would hex them into next week," she added.

"Well, it's getting late. Why don't we head up to the Headmaster's office, I know that he was looking forward to seeing these two in their costumes," Remus said, getting up from his chair.

"At least let us clean up here," Lily begged him, going to get the tea cups off of the table in front of them.

"Lily, you can't bend over to pick things up. No, just leave it. Cleaning up will be the most exciting part of my evening. I need something to do after the feast tonight. Please, don't worry about it," he said, and she relented.

I helped Anwen up, and Ginny had already picked Ethan up and was heading for the door. We spent time with Albus, who had gotten both of the boys small, pointed wizarding hats as a Halloween treat. He also gave Evan some candy, his very first Bertie Botts. Albus had even gone so far as to remove all the offensive tasting ones, only leaving the sweet, fruit flavored ones. "I look forward to treating you to your first sweets in a year or two, my young godson," he beamed at Ethan as he held him. "Anwen, if you reach into my top drawer there, you will find a treat for yourself as well as one for Lily," he told her. She went over to his desk and opened the drawer, and pulled out two small Honeydukes bags. She opened them both, and then handed one to Lily.

"How did you know our favorite candies?" my wife asked, looking genuinely surprised. She reached in and took out what I knew to be one of her favorite dark chocolate caramels, and took a bite.

"It is surprising the number of things that I have learned over the years about the students here," the old Headmaster stated. "Miss Lily Evans prefers milk chocolate mints, while Mister James Potter likes toffees. Miss Anwen Hodgson always brought back a small bag of dark chocolate caramels, Mr. Black would bring her a much bigger bag when he shopped for her," we all chuckled, because Anwen still hated when I would spend money on her. "Mister Lupin simply enjoys a bar of Honeydukes best. Young Mister Potter has a thing for Chocolate Frogs, and not just to collect the cards and Miss Weasley, she is a girl after my own heart, and she is quite thrilled with marshmallow creams," Ginny nodded at him. Albus then walked over and stood face to face with me. "Now, Mister Black, I know yours is a rather tightly held secret, may I share your favorite candy with the rest of the group here, or would you prefer that it remain a secret?" I looked at him, surprised. The only person who I had ever told was Anwen.

"Go ahead, I'm secure enough now," I told him.

"Raspberry creams," he said, and I nodded at him. "Ladies, I understand that you sometimes have cravings while you are pregnant. I hope that these help," he said and both of them smiled at him.

"Thank you very much, chocolate is always a good thing," my wife said, flashing that huge smile of hers that threatened to take over her whole face.

"Yes, thank you, although I would really like chips with salt and vinegar to go with them," Lily said. Several of us made a face at her.

"Really, Mum, chocolate mints with salt and vinegar chips? That's gross," Harry said, looking at his Mum in disgust.

"Yell at your little sister, she's the one who wants these things," Lily told her. Both Harry and Ginny got wide eyed and Harry jumped up, scaring Evan, who ran to Ginny.

"Mum, your having a girl. I'm going to have a little sister?" Harry asker her as he came over to hug her.

"Yes, sweetheart. Your father and I wanted to tell you today. We're having a little girl, you're going to have your little sister," she told him. Harry was over the moon excited.

"What about you Aunt Winnie, do you know what you're having?" Ginny turned and asked my wife. I put my arm around her and kissed her temple.

"Yes, we know Ginny. We're having a girl too," she smiled at the young witch. She looked up at Albus, "Perenelle was right, I wonder what else she told us in those last days was right as well," she said wistfully.

"Only time will tell, Anwen. Only time will tell," Albus told her. _She hadn't told me about any other predictions that Perenelle had made. I wonder what they are talking about?_

We continued to visit for a few moments, but Lily reminded us that we needed to go and visit Minerva as well. Albus gently kissed our son goodbye, and Anwen promised that we would be up to visit again. He nodded his head, but something passed between them as we went to leave. It was silent, but there was distinct communication. We visited Minerva for a while, but it was getting on toward the feast, so we flooed home. We took some pictures of Ethan for Anwen's Ma in Canada, and then we ate a quiet dinner that Kreacher had prepared. Our house was invisible to the neighbors, but it didn't mean that we couldn't see what was going on out on the street. Anwen sat in the window and watched the other children out Trick or Treating.

"In a few years, that will be us out there, taking our kids around with their little buckets," I said, kneeling down in front of her, I laid my head down on her thigh, and wrapped my arms around her.

"Uh huh," she said quietly, still looking out the window.

"Anwen, what's wrong? You seem distant," I asked her, looking up at her face. She shook her head at me. "Is this about whatever Perenelle said before she died?" Grief washed over her face.

"Sirius, don't ask me, please. I'm not even sure that I believe what was said anyway," her face softened then. "Do you want to know what I'd really love," she asked me.

"No my dear, I have no idea, but I would love to give you what your heart desires," I told her honestly.

"I would love a hot bath and then a back rub," she said. I stood up and offered her my hand. She slid her hand into mine and I helped her up, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her deeply.

"Ethan is down for the night, and I would like nothing better than to make you feel better. I love you so very much, my dear, sweet wife," I told her and she pulled me down into another kiss. I let my love wash over her, and I could feel her melt into it.

I had gotten Anwen to sleep, and then I had slipped from the bed to come down to my office and get some reading done. There were too many things running through my mind to rest just yet. My communication mirror began vibrating on my desk, and I picked it up and touched the surface.

"Sirius, is Anwen there?" Remus asked.

"No, she's sound asleep. Do you need me to wake her?" I asked my friend. He shook his head at me.

"Don't, I'd rather talk with you alone anyway. Sirius, Peter was in the castle, today, while all of you were here," he told me.

"What? How the hell did he get into the castle?"

"We're not sure, but by the time we figured it out, he was gone. Attacked the Fat Lady's Portrait, probably trying to get into Gryffindor Tower. The kids are all safe, they're asleep in the Great Hall," he told me. He shared everything that had gone on from the time that we left, until just now. _This is getting ridiculous. How are we supposed to stay safe, when Hogwarts isn't even safe?_

"What is Albus going to do?" I asked Moony.

"We're going to have staff on patrol, as well as tighten the wards around the grounds. Hagrid has even suggested putting out rat poison," he laughed, just a little, at the thought.

"I can't believe he was there while we were all there. At least Harry was safe, but what if he was roaming the castle by himself, does he really know enough to get out of a situation?" I asked him off handedly.

"I don't know, he's well trained; but he's also a bit of a danger magnet. I think that I am going to start the dueling club up again. If Severus won't help me, I figured I could get Anwen or maybe King to help me," he said. I nodded at him.

"I'd be more than willing," a drowsy voice said from the doorway, and I saw my wife standing there. _I hadn't even heard her walk up._ "Sirius, who was in the castle?"

"Remus, Anwen said she would help. I need to go, we'll talk in the morning," I said to the mirror, and then touched the glassy surface so that his image disappeared. I stood and walked over to my wife.

"Why are you up, love?" I asked her, wrapping my arms around her. She returned the gesture, and laid her head on my chest.

"I had to use the loo, and then Pup here wanted another orange. I didn't know where you had gone," she said, lifting her head to look at me. "Our bed is cold without you there," she told me. "Who was in the castle? Was it Peter?"

"Yes, but he's gone now and everyone is safe. It's just unnerving that he was there while you and Ethan were in the castle," I told her.

"Why would it matter that we were in the castle? He was after Harry, wasn't he?" I released her, and took her hand and walked with her back up the stairs to our bedroom. "Why would Ethan and I matter?" Her voice was getting louder and more intense. "Sirius, what aren't you telling me?"

"I'll tell you, I just want you to get warmed up. Come on, let's get back into bed, and we'll talk," I told her, removing my dressing gown and kicking off my slippers. She did the same and we got back into bed.

"Sirius, you're scaring me. What aren't you telling me?" Anwen was trying, somewhat in vain, to control her voice as she spoke.

"Winnie, love, I think that Peter may be after you or Ethan, or both of you; because you were the one who put him in jail. Crookshanks read his mind, talked with him, what ever it is she does; when he was in the Cauldron, and he wasn't as interested in Harry as he was in you," I told her. She trembled in my arms.

"Oh," was all she said. I could feel her shaking and I tried to hold her tight enough to make it stop. She was very quiet, and I knew that she was thinking. _Her silence made it easier for her to think, but it was excruciating for me. I wanted to know what was going on in her mind._ It felt like it was forever before she spoke again, I wasn't even sure she was awake anymore.

"How did Lily live like this, all those years? I can't imagine loosing him, or our little girl, and she isn't even here yet," she whispered. I kissed her head and let my lips linger along her hair line. "Sirius," and she moved her head so that she was looking at me. "I will do whatever I have to, to keep them safe. No one is ever going to hurt my babies." The fear was gone from her voice, and it was replaced with resolution, but it wasn't her voice that had me frightened. It was the dark rage that was in her eyes. Anwen was always the calmer, more in control of the two of us, she didn't look it now. I was afraid of what would ever happen if push came to shove. I stroked her cheeks, and she settled herself down into me again. I lay there and held her as sleep came to her, but she had given me too much to think about to rest.

**Anwen POV:**

"Why in the world are they holding the match in this weather?" I yelled at Lily. We were standing together, covered by a shielding as well as a warming charms, but the weather was still nearly unbearable.

"I don't know. They were supposed to be playing Slytherin House anyway, but they had to scrap the match due to an injury. Why they didn't just postpone the game altogether, I don't know," she yelled back. We couldn't see Harry, the weather was just too bad. James and Sirius were patrolling the grounds with Remus, who looked quite awful. The full moon had only been the night before, and he shouldn't have been out and about, but he was. His changes were much worse up here, than they had been when he was at the farm. Lily and I were suspicious about the strength of the potion that Severus Snape was brewing for Remus, or the way that it was being brewed. Lily was going to talk with Albus about brewing it for him, and then bringing it up, just before the full moon. The guys were also going to resume coming up and spending the night with him in Shrieking Shack.

We watched what action there was, but to be honest, it was a slow moving game due to the rain. It had been called to a halt once, and we saw Hermione talking with Harry. Then play resumed. We had no idea where the action was, or even what the score was. When we heard the crowd gasp, we looked up to see Harry falling toward the ground, clearly not in control of what he was doing.

Lily screamed, but I wasn't paying attention to her. I quickly threw a shield charm up over Harry and I could see Albus raising his wand. I knew between the two of us, we could stop his plummet. I held my other hand up and cushioned the ground, and watched as Harry gently hit the grass. I turned and fired a patronus out to my husband, telling him to get James and get to Hospital when he could. Lily and I took off for the field. Something made me look up, and over the field, were floating an entire guard of Dementors. _Only 20 or so were supposed to be stationed here, why the hell are there so many? Of course, the weather is so bad because there are so many of them in a contained ward. What in the world is Fudge doing?_

Albus was already levitating Harry, and his teammates had all gathered around. Lily was crying, and Minerva was trying to calm her down. I turned to Oliver Wood and yelled at him, "Go and find Harry's broom, bring it up to me. His Father and Uncle are going to want to have a look at it." He nodded and took off with the Weasley twins. Soon Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all with us. It was a quiet walk from the pitch up to the hospital wing. We were all wet and a chill was starting set it, that I wasn't convinced was entirely because of the cold of standing in the rain. We were greeted by Madame Pomfrey and she shooed everyone but Harry's mother away, and started assessing his health. The students all gathered around an empty bed, and Albus pulled me aside.

"Can you please contact someone in the Auror department, and find out why there are so many Dementors here?" he asked me.

"Of course, I'll fire call King right now. I'll go down to Remus' chambers, I'll have privacy there. When Sirius gets here, will you tell him where I am, please?" He nodded at me.

I took off and got to Remus' door, and used the password he had told me a few weeks ago. _Honestly, Moony's room, what a dumb password. _I contacted King, and he was as furious as we were. He said that he would make sure that the number was reduced immediately. I told him that I thought I would be here for a while longer, but if he needed me, he was to contact me. I quickly called Molly as well, to check up on the boys and tell her what had happened. As that call was ending, Remus came in. He was soaked to the bone, and looking completely haggard.

"You look awful. Come on, come and sit down, let me dry you and warm you up, and then I will heal some of those wounds and get you some strengthening potion. You are going straight to bed then, no complaints," I told him.

"Yes Mum," he teased me, but did what I had asked.

"Don't ridicule a pregnant woman, it won't end well for you. We have hormones on our side," I reminded him, and he nodded at me. I set about casting the spells that were needed, and he asked me about what had happened at the pitch. I told him the whole story, and he looked as disgusted as I felt. After the healing was finished, I summoned a vial of strengthening potion from his kitchen area. I handed it to him and he drank it down.

"I haven't seen you this beat up in a while. Was it a bad change?" I said, stroking his cheek where I had just healed it.

"The potion doesn't seem to be working as well here," he said glumly. I nodded at him. Now wasn't the time to tell him of Lily's and my suspicions. I finished on all the visible cuts and bruises, his color was getting better, thanks in part to his being warm as well as the potion.

"Any other wounds you need me to fix up?" I asked and he shook his head. "All right then, go and rest. I'm sure the house elves will bring you your meals here today. If you need me, don't hesitate to call, please," and he nodded at me.

"Tonks is coming by tonight, says she needs help with one of your classes," he told me, with a little smile. _The only class that Tonks has with me this term is Advanced Investigative Techniques. What in the world would Remus know about those?_

"Good, let her heal you if there is anything else bothering you. She's quite good at healing charms, given how often she hurts herself, it stands to reason," I joked, and he smiled at it.

"Anwen, would you be willing to come up and demonstrate some dueling to my students next week, as well as talk about your visualization skills?" he questioned me.

"Of course. I don't teach on Monday and Friday. How about if I come up those days?" He nodded at me. "If you need anything, I'll be here for a while longer. Rest my friend, and feel better, please," he settled himself down with a book and I quietly slipped from his rooms. Sirius met me on the stairs. He gently kissed me, and he changed directions, to head back to the Hospital ward with me.

"I was just coming to find you. Harry is going to be fine, but his broom is nothing more than matchsticks. Thankfully, he doesn't have another match for a while, it will give me time to get a new broom, and to get the upgrades done to it," Sirius beamed. _He's going to go so far over the top with this new broom, and there will be absolutely no way of stopping him._ I shook my head at my husband.

"What?"

"There are days that you are nothing more than an overgrown adolescent," I told him.

He looked at me proudly. "And the problem with that would be?"

"Come on, I want to report back to Albus, and then I think we should get our son and head home and curl up in front of a fire and stay nice and warm," I said, wrapping my arms around his mid section. He stopped and pulled me close.

"You know, there's a reason it's called a shag carpet," he said. I looked up at him and he was waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Like I said, an overgrown adolescent," I replied and took his hand, pulling him into the hospital wing.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Hello there people, surprise, its an early update :). You can probably guess what's going to happen in this chapter, but I warn you, there is also a hint as to the mystery that is brewing here as well. Song for this chapter is "Little Star" by Madonna. I don't own HP, if I did I certainly wouldn't be trying to type on a laptop that doesn't have an S key, which really stinks when one of your main characters names is Sirius. No profit is being made from this, and no copywrite laws are being intentionally broken. Thanks for reading and I love your reviews. Mutt**

**Chapter 16:**

**Daddy's Little Princess**

**Remus POV:**

"All right James, when he gets here, we'll be off for St. Mungo's, and I'll tell Minerva and Albus what is going on, just get Lily to the hospital in time, please," I told my friend, and he nodded at me nervously in the fire.

"Right, get my wife to hospital in time. Okay. See you in a while Moony," he added and his face vanished from the fireplace. _You would never know that this was his third time through this. _I looked over at the clock _Harry should be here in the next five minutes. He's always on time, today it will be even more important._ We had been working on his Patronus charm lesson, as well as some other basic defensive skills. Anwen had indeed helped me a great deal, but I was going to be on my own with both my classes and the dueling club for a few weeks. She was due in 5 weeks, and Lily was in labor now. _I can't believe the two of them are due so close together. Those girls are going to be like sisters._ I quickly scrawled off notes for both Albus and Minerva, and stepped outside of my rooms to go and find a student to deliver them. When that task was completed, I came back in to wait for Harry. I stood by my fireplace, looking at a picture of the five of us from Anwen and Sirius' wedding. I was standing between the two couples, looking more than a bit like a fifth wheel.

_I wouldn't ever begrudge them their happiness. James was in love with Lily before he had the sense to know what it was. She made him a better person, made him live up to his potential. Heck, if it hadn't been for her, James wouldn't have ever been Head Boy our seventh year. Thankfully, James treated Lily like the princess that she is. She had always felt like she had to prove something, given the way her sister had responded to her being a witch. She needed to show that she wasn't a freak, and that she could do great things in this world. Her parents would have been so proud of the work that she had chosen to do, and they would have loved the boys, and this little girl who's about to be born._

_Then there are Sirius and Anwen. She is unlike anyone that I have ever known. Maybe it's because she was Muggle born, maybe it's just the grace of her spirit, but she never, ever shied away from me, because of my being a werewolf. She was never afraid to be with me, or to touch me. Even my mother had times when she was afraid of me, but Anwen never was. How she ended up with Sirius I will never know, but from the moment they met, there was an electricity between them. Look at him now, the guy who had a different girl every week has been happily married for seven years, with his second kid on the way. Just proves that old axiom about what the love of a good woman can do. They're remarkable together, like one soul divided into two bodies. Their connection is extraordinary. Both couples are in love with each other, complete and whole with each other. _

_You could have it, you know. You have a girl who is crazy about you, for god alone knows what reason. She has practically thrown herself at you, and all you've done Moony, is back away. I've tried to act like a gentleman around her, but honestly, it's getting to be nearly impossible. She's effervescent and intoxicating. I desperately want to kiss her and hold her. It's not that I don't know what to do with a woman, I lived with James and Sirius at school – they certainly didn't hide their conquests from each other or me. Honestly, I think if girls knew how boys talked, they would never go into another broom closet again. Then, living with Anwen and Sirius, it was, educational to say the least; but could I do that to Tonks? She's so young, and beautiful, and she deserves someone younger and more handsome and certainly not lethal, like me. _

I looked back at the picture, and wondered if it was at all possible to make the five a six. Then, there was a knock at my door, and I was roused from my ruminations.

"Come in," I called, hoping that it was Harry. I was proved correct.

"Harry, come on in. I have some news for you," I said as he stepped in and closed the door.

"What's up Uncle Remus?" we had agreed that he needed to call me Professor Lupin when we were in class, but when we were alone or away from school, he could revert to his other names for me.

"Your father called, your Mum is in labor. I am supposed to take you over to St. Mungo's; unless you would rather wait here for word," I posed the question. I really wanted to be there for James and Lily, but it was his choice.

"No, no, I want to go, but I have to tell Ginny. I had promised her I'd let her know when Mum was going to have the baby. Can I just run up to the tower and tell her, and then we can be off?" he asked, I nodded and he was off. Since I had a few more minutes, I decided that I would fire call Tonks and tell her about Lily. I tossed a pinch of powder into the grate, and called over to her parents' house. Her mother answered the call.

"Hello Andromeda, is Tonks there?" I asked politely. She smiled at me.

"She's here, Remus. Let me get her. Dora, Dora honey, grates for you," she called as she walked away, and I was left looking at the couch. There was something stuck under the sofa and it appeared that there was a pile of popcorn underneath today's _Prophet_. I could only think that these were the kinds of things that made Tonks call her father a slob.

"Got it Mum," she called before she plopped down in front of the fireplace. Her hair was my favorite shade of pink and when she saw me, her smile grew wide. "Hiya handsome, to what do I owe the pleasure of an evening fire call? Isn't tonight your lesson with Harry?" she asked, leaning her head down on her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees.

"It is, but we aren't meeting tonight. Lily has gone into labor, and we're headed over to St. Mungo's. Thought that you might want to know," I told her. She lifted her hands and started clapping.

"Yeah, she was getting as big as a house. Do you think that she'd care if I came over to wait with ya?" she asked. I got butterflies in my stomach at the idea that we might get to spend some time together.

"No, I think Lily would like that. You and Lily and Anwen seem to be getting along well together," I said off handedly.

"You know what, they're like the sisters I never had. Love 'em both to pieces. I'm gonna go and grab a few things, and I'll see you there," she said, waving at me through the fire place. I smiled back at her and then pulled my head out.

"You know, I think Moony might have a girlfriend," I heard a voice say behind me.

"He sure spends a lot of time making lovey dovey eyes at Tonks," another, higher pitched voice said, and I turned to see Harry and Ginny standing in my doorway, looking at me.

"What would the two of you know about making lovey dovey eyes at people? Unless you've been making them at each other?" I said. Both of their eyes went wide and they were just staring at me. _Knew that would shut them up. Sirius had actually suggested that we take bets on when they would start dating. Lily called it crass, but still thought that it would take until his fifth year._

"Um, have fun, and please let me know when the baby is here. Bye," Ginny said quickly, not looking at Harry, but instead scampering off. I had to work very hard to hold my laugh in.

"Come on Harry, let's get to the hospital," and I put an arm around the boy and urged him into the room fully. I then closed the door and sealed it, and I sent him through the floo first, following right behind him.

**Sirius POV:**

"Hey there guys, about time you showed up," I said to Harry and Moony as they walked down the hall. Anwen and I had been here for a while, we had arrived before Lily and James.

"We got here as soon as we could, but I needed to make sure that Ginny knew. She would have killed me if I didn't tell her, or worse, she would have hexed me," Harry said, clearly frightened by the little redhead.

"What in the world would a second year do to make you that worried Harry?" I asked him. _This was a kid that faced Voldemort three times, could a girl really have him that worried?_

"Have you ever seen her bat bogey hex? Those things fly out of your nose and then they latch on and they hurt," he said emphatically, "and you can't get them off. She has to reverse the spell. There is no way that I am getting on the wrong side of that little witch," he concluded. I couldn't help but laugh at him. "How is Mum this time?"

"She's surprisingly good. Anwen was working with her on some of the visualization stuff that she did when she delivered Ethan last year, and they've already drugged her. Go on in and see them," I told him, and Harry knocked on the door and went inside.

"Really, she hasn't turned into a beast yet?" Moony asked me, and I shook my head at her.

"I think it bothered her, how quiet and reserved Anwen was when she was giving birth, kind of made her think. She had Anwen teach her yoga breathing and centering, they're in there right now, just talking and staying calm. I think it's bothering Prongs. He knew what to do when Lily was mental, this, he's having a hard time with," I told him. "You missed the fun though, when we came in, they tried to get Anwen into the delivery room, they thought she was in labor. Admittedly, Winnie looks like she could pop, but they finally had to call a Healer in and prove that she wasn't in labor," he shook his head at the story.

We moved over and sat down in the horribly uncomfortable chairs. We talked for a few minutes about things at school, which led to Quidditch, which lead to Harry's broom.

"When he came back from Christmas, with the customized Firebolt, I think that every boy in school, and half the girls were impressed, even a few Slytherins. Minerva finally gave it back to him today. I guess there is nothing in the rule book about one player having an exceptionally better broom than the rest," Moony told me, and I swelled with pride.

"I couldn't believe that she took it away. Just goes to show that she had no idea what we had done to the old one. I was relieved when Harry used the mirror to call and tell me he had it back. He's got practice tomorrow, I hope that we're not here too late, needs to be on top of things when he's flying," I told him and he nodded.

"What I want to know, is how in the world did you end up buying it, rather than his father?" Remus asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I had ordered it before we left the castle that night," I told him. "I had borrowed a school owl and wrote a note to the broom maker who had taken care of Anwen's brooms. Even told him to take the gold from my accounts," I smirked at him.

"Well, it's an impressive broom," Moony told me, and was once again reminded of my pride. "He's got a match on Saturday, I somehow doubt that his parents will be there."

"I think wild horses couldn't keep James away. Anwen has already promised that she will sit with Lily so that James can go, and Molly will still have the boys, so I can go too," I told him.

"I'll be there as well," he said, and I smiled at him. _Nice for the Marauders to be out without the women and kids for a change. Maybe we could go into Hogsmeade for a Firewhiskey when the match is over._

We talked for a while longer, about the Wolfsbane potion. Remus had decided to have Lily brew it for him and bring it up each month. This happened at the urging of Lily and Anwen, and since he had made the decision, things were much easier on him. Remus had simply seen it as further proof that his method of tailoring the potion for the blood chemistry of the individual really did make the difference. The girls weren't so sure that Severus hadn't been making the potion weaker on purpose, to cause Moony more pain. _I wouldn't have put it past the sadistic bastard._

"Wotcher Guys," I heard down the hall and I looked up to see Tonks, I looked over at Moony, and I swear that he was beaming at seeing her. _Okay, note to self, never bet against your wife when it's about relationships. She's gonna win this one._ "Any news," she asked, plopping herself down next to Remus.

"Nothing yet, Harry's in there right now. He'll probably stay until things really get going," I told her and she nodded at me. We talked for a while about things at the Ministry. She seemed to share our general consensus that our current Minister was just, well, an idiot.

"Couldn't believe him, he was yelling at Dumbledore, in the Atrium, for calling a meeting of the Council of 13. It was unbelievable, he was making such a fool of himself. Professor Dumbledore just stood there, letting him rant and rave and make himself look like such a wanker," she said. I couldn't help but laugh at the bluntness of my cousin. "He's going to push Mad–Eye right out, I give him three months, tops," she said. _I hope not, we need all the good people we can get over there right now._

Remus and Tonks decided to go down to the Tea Room and get some things and bring them back up. I stayed here, in case Harry came out. I didn't fail to notice the gentle hand that Remus placed on the small of her back as they left. _Damn, Anwen told me like a year and a half ago that this would happen. How did she and Lily know?_ I was so lost in thought, I didn't notice when Harry came back out.

"She's completely different in there. Not scary at all," he said, sounding surprised. We talked a little about school and Quidditch, as well as his training with Moony and Winnie.

"I'll come up and work with you while Winnie is recovering from giving birth. I think I've almost persuaded Moony to let me help with the dueling club too," I told him, and he laughed so hard that he almost fell off the chair.

"Wait, does that mean that I would get to duel you too. That would be too much fun, I would get to knock you on your arse," he beamed at me.

"And how do you know that you would beat me young man?"

"Because, Aunt Winnie told me how to distract you, and it isn't the way that she distracts you. Honestly, all she has to do is smile at you, and you're mush," he teased. Thankfully, Remus and Tonks returned, weighed down with food and drinks. We talked for a while, and then Tonks opened her bag and produced a deck of cards and a rather large bag of knuts.

"What in the world do you think we are going to do with those?" I asked her, having a guess, but shocked that it was her that brought them.

"I think that it's time to teach Harry the fine art of poker here gentlemen," she said, and I do not know who was more shocked, Harry or Remus.

"You are going to teach me to play poker, really? You are all so cool," Harry gushed.

"I know. Remus, honey, close your mouth. He's 13, he's old enough to learn to play poker, and we are only betting with the leftover change from the jar on my dresser," she said. We all sat down on the floor, food spread out around us, and Tonks explained the basic rules. Harry seemed a little confused, but I knew that he would catch on. She dealt the cards and gave everyone a bunch of change. The goal here wasn't to make any money, it was simply something to do to pass the time.

Countless hands later, we had burned through all the snacks and taken two bathroom breaks. Harry had caught on, hadn't won a lick, but he caught on to the game. James and Lily had nothing to worry about, he couldn't bluff or lie at all. Tonks on the other hand, was quite good. There had been several rounds that had simply devolved into each of us trying to figure out the other one. _Must be a Black family thing, being able to lie well. Great, that's a family trait that you want._

The door creaked open, and my wife was standing there, she looked tired, but her smile was wide. I could see that she had been crying as well.

"You know, I wouldn't let James and Lily see you teaching their son to play poker," she said, and everyone else turned to look at her. "Harry, would you like to come in and meet your sister?" Harry popped up.

"Yeah, yeah I really would. They're all okay, right?" he asked as he got to his aunt.

"They're all wonderful. Have your dad let me know when he wants everyone else to come in," she said, and he passed her and went inside. I stood up and went to her, enveloping her in my arms as best I could. I couldn't get them around her the whole way anymore. She had grown too much. We turned and started walking down the hall, arm in arm. There was something that I needed to ask her.

"I could feel when the baby was born, there was a sense of relief and happiness, but then there was something else, just a few minutes ago. Joy, encompassing joy. What happened?" I questioned her. She stopped and looked up at me, her eyes full of tears, but the happiness that she was feeling was just radiating off of her.

"They named their daughter Emma Llyn, they named her after me," she said, having to stop to gather herself, "and they asked me to be her godmother," she finished, before she completely dissolved into tears. I held her to me, and stroked her head. I didn't need to say anything, I was so in awe of her, so amazed by her, that I knew that she felt it.

We stood there until Anwen got herself together, and then we walked back to where Remus and Tonks were waiting. A while later, we walked in to meet little Emma Llyn Potter. James put her in my wife's arms, and I didn't think that I had ever seen such a pretty little girl. _Of course, that will change in a few weeks, when my own princess gets here, but for now, Emma is the most beautiful girl on the planet._ Emma looked like a female version of her oldest brother, jet black hair with bright green eyes. It was well after midnight when Harry and Remus headed back to Hogwarts and I took my very exhausted wife home.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay home? I'm worried about you, you're having contractions," I said to her. Anwen was attempting to get these little trainers on Ethan's feet. He had taken his first steps a few days ago, and Anwen insisted that he needed shoes.

"They're not real contractions, Sirius. I'm not due for another month. Go on, watch the game and enjoy yourself. Make sure that you tell Harry to fly well, and catch the Snitch for his little sister. Oh, and if you go to the Broomsticks afterwards, please don't drink too much Firewhiskey. I hate the way your breath smells afterwards, and certain odors are still making me queasy," she said, finally getting the shoes on our son's feet. I scooped him up off the bed and threw him in the air.

"You do know that I just fed him his breakfast, right. Unless you want to wear his porridge and applesauce, I wouldn't do that," she teased me, and I saw the wisdom in her statement. She slowly eased herself off the bed and took a deep breath.

"Are you sure those aren't real?" _She's not acting like she did when she gave birth last year, but she's having an awful lot of them. I shouldn't be going to this Quidditch match, I should stay with her._

"Sirius, love, they are practice contractions. I was at the Healer's earlier this week, and my body isn't even close, trust me. Now, you need to get going so that you can drop Ethan off at Molly and Arthur's. Did James tell you what Evan has taken to calling her," she asked me and I shook my head 'no' at her. "He's calling her GrandMolly, and he calls Arthur Pop-Pop. There is some story about that nickname. I can't wait to find out, and I think they're cute. I wouldn't be upset if our kids did the same thing," she said, and I had to admit, the names were cute. We started down the stairs, I was carrying Ethan and Anwen was waddling. She looked rather pathetic and very uncomfortable.

"Tell Molly that he can eat whatever they are eating, just puree it up. There are also some jars of baby food in the bag if she needs them, as well as several bottles. I will be with Lily at St. Mungo's and she's welcome to come up and see us." I loved when she rattled off instructions she had to know that there was no way that I would remember.

"I still think I should stay with you," I told her, something in the pit of my stomach let me know that she wasn't quite right. _But her mood seems fine, she's calm and happy._

"You're not staying with me, you're going to the Quidditch match and then you can come and get me at the hospital when you're finished. Now, if you really want to make me happy, you'll go and get me my favorite Chinese Take-away for dinner," she smirked at me, and I knew that I had lost this battle.

"Out to dinner two nights in a row? You finally letting me spoil you?" I asked her, and she put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow at me. "Fine, two orders of fried dumplings and a vegetable rice noodles will be yours, my darling. I love you and I will miss you today," I told her, leaning down to kiss her.

"I will miss you too, but I carry your love with me. Have fun, and don't worry about me, please," she said, reaching up to caress my cheek. "You be good too, don't run Molly and Arthur too ragged my little man." She stroked Ethan's head and kissed his cheek. I then stepped into the floo to drop Ethan off at the Weasley's house.

A while later I apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. James was waiting for me.

"How did you get away from Lily so easily?" I asked him, he was beaming in that 'new father' way.

"She fell asleep, so I was able to slip out of the hospital room. I guess that she didn't sleep that well last night, Emma kept waking up and wanting to eat. That little girl has one set of lungs on her," he explained.

"Sounds like you had an easier time of it than I had dropping Ethan off at Molly's. She wanted to know exactly what Emma looks like. I think that she's going to pop over this afternoon, which means Arthur will be left with the boys. I can only imagine what he'll do with them," I told James and he shook his head at it.

We started off toward the pitch, and we met Remus half way there. It felt a little like old times, except back then, we didn't watch the games. As we made it to the pitch, we ran into Harry. He was nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Uncle Sirius, the broom is amazing. I can't believe how smooth it is, and how quickly it accelerates. That Chang girl isn't going to know what hit her," he said, and I cocked my eyebrow and top lip at him.

"What Chang girl are you talking about," I asked him. He waved his hand at me.

"It's nothing like that, she's the Ravenclaw Seeker. I just like whipping the competition. It's nothing like whatever that was going on in the waiting room the other night with Uncle Remus and Tonks. Honestly, I've seen fewer longing looks between couples snogging away on the couches in the common room," he teased Moony, who continued to turn red. Prongs and I just kept quiet, apparently the Junior Marauder was doing just fine all on his own.

"I'm just glad that McGonagall gave you back the broom in time for the match. She would have had a visit from a rather irate former student," I told him.

"Several former students, Padfoot," Prongs piped up. Harry asked him about his sister, and asked his father if he could come and see them. His dad told him he would talk with the Headmaster and see what could be done. Ginny flitted in, wished Harry luck and hugged James with congratulations about the baby, and then went to find her brother and Hermione.

Harry went to change into his uniform, and we went to sit in the Headmaster's box. The game started and Harry was playing well, when I felt Winnie's mood change. She was panicking and happy at once. I stopped watching the game, and felt the need to concentrate on her mood. I was lost in my own thoughts when Madame Pomfrey came in and turned to talk with us. _What in the devil's name is she doing here, Harry hasn't even gotten hurt yet._

"Mr. Black, I just got word from St. Mungo's. Your wife has gone into labor while she was there. They suggest that you get there immediately," she told me. I stood there with my mouth hanging open. _Explains Winnie's mood. I knew that there was something not right about her this morning. _I was just standing there, thinking until I felt James slap me on the back.

"She might be calm there Padfoot, but I would hate to see her if you miss your daughter's birth. You had better get a move on. We'll be there when the match is over," he told me, and I nodded at him and Moony.

"Do you want to use my floo, or would you like to apparate from the gates?" Poppy asked me.

"Uhh," I wasn't sure. "I guess I'll floo from the Hospital wing. The baby isn't due for another five weeks. Do you think that everything will be all right?" I asked her, as we started to climb down from the stands. I could hear James tell Albus and Minerva what had happened.

"I'm sure that she's fine. Sometimes it happens with very powerful magical babies. They just want to get here sooner. I am sure that there is nothing to worry about. Now come on, you need to get to Anwen," she told me, and I followed her into the castle and up to the hospital wing. _Who knew that someone so small could move so fast. _I marveled at how quickly the medi-witch of Hogwarts could walk. I checked on Winnie's mood again, and I could feel her trying to stay calm. I needed to get there to help her, right away.

When I got to St. Mungo's I went right up to the Maternity Ward, and Patience was waiting for me.

"You made great time there, young man. Your pretty wife is ready to have that baby. Surprised us all, she did. Was sitting quietly with Mrs. Potter, and then poof, her water broke and those contractions started coming right fast. Won't be long now," she told me as we hurried down the hall. We walked in the room, and I had to stifle a laugh; she was in the same room that Lily had used two days ago.

Anwen had her eyes closed, and it was obvious that she was concentrating very hard. I knew that she could sense my being there, because her whole spirit changed. She was relieved and a relaxed sensation must have filled her, because it touched me as well. Lily was sitting next to her, giving her quiet words of encouragement.

"Healer Wickman checked her a minute ago, and she is very close. This little one just decided that she wanted to get out to see her little playmate. Anwen, honey, do ya need anything?" Patience asked her, stepping to the opposite side. Winnie shook her head. "Your husband is here darlin," she added. Winnie nodded. "I could feel when he walked in," she said, her eyes still closed. _Was she far enough along that she had to concentrate between them already? _Patience moved aside, and I stood next to my wife, brushing her hair aside and kissing her forehead.

"Love, you can't do anything the easy way can you?" She smiled feebly at me. "How far along are you?"

"I'll be ready to push shortly, your daughter is an impatient little imp. Can't imagine where she gets that from," she teased me. "How was the match going? How was Harry flying?" she asked. _About to deliver a baby and she is worried about the Hogwarts Quidditch match? I married a crazy woman._

"It was going fine, and Harry was flying very well. How about if we concentrate on getting this little girl out now. Daddy wants to meet his princess," I told her, and she opened her eyes for the first time. They were clear and bright and filled with love.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" she whispered to me.

"You have, but I never get tired of hearing it. Come on, let's focus. I know that you can do this," I told her, and I took her hand and held it to my chest.

**Remus POV:**

We were all idling in the waiting room that we had been in two days ago. Harry was still in his Quidditch uniform, Ginny still had her face painted. Ron and Hermione were sitting doing what looked like homework. _Does that girl ever do anything but study?_ We had left the game rather quickly. Harry had made an amazing move to catch the Snitch, completely faking out the other Seeker; but then some stupid Slytherin boys tried to convince Harry that there were Dementors on the grounds again. Then, Harry produced a Patronus shield. I had never been so proud of him. He'd been working hard on it, and he had finally done it. It was impressive, not just it's size but the strength of it.

Lily had come out, briefly, to give Emma to James, who was sitting making dreamy faces at his little girl. _He was taken with Harry and Evan, but this was completely different. He was utterly enamored with his little girl. _Then I saw her. She was bouncing down the hall towards me, carrying a big brown bag of something. Her hair was pink and spiky and she was wearing the oddest combination of striped tights and a black skirt and a rock band shirt for the group that played for Anwen and Sirius' on their wedding night.

"Hey, brought you some lunch. We've got sandwiches and fruit and I understand that you kids like Muggle soda pop, so I brought a bunch, there are also some biscuits in there, but my Mum made them, so they may not be edible. One thing Black women can't do, is cook. Hope that you can cook, or we're gonna starve," she said, looking right at me. _What is she thinking, I only asked her to go on a date tonight? Does she hope this is going somewhere? _I was lost in my thoughts, when I realized that she was waving something under my nose. "You gonna eat, or just sit there and memorize the tiles on the floor?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, thanks," I stammered out, taking the food from her. She sat down next to me, and I was still so shocked that she had agreed to not only go out with me, but she was excited about it. We were going out for dinner and a Muggle movie tonight. It was a very normal thing to do. We talked for a while, and the kids began playing a game of exploding snap. Emma had fallen asleep in James' arms, and he had gotten the medi-witch to take her back to the nursery. The three of us sat there talking about nothing in particular, when the door to the delivery room opened. Sirius came out holding a pink blanket, and inside was a beautiful baby girl.

"Hey everyone, I want you to meet Lilyan Vega. She's named after Lily and Andromeda and we're going to ask both of them to be her godmothers," he told us, looking down at his little girl. _The way that he's looking at that baby reminds me of how he looked at Anwen on their wedding day._ "She's very small, and they are going to need to give her some potions and such so we only have a few minutes with her out here," he told us, not taking his eyes off the little girl.

Sirius pulled back the top of the blanket, and I was amazed at the sheer volume of black hair that was on her head. _She's got her Daddy's hair, lucky girl, but they are going to need one big mirror._ Sirius stroked her cheek and she opened her eyes. They were the brightest green.

"Dad, she looks like Emma, I mean, she really looks like Emma," Harry blurted out.

"Your Mum said the same thing when she first saw her. I think she's beautiful. Everyone, get a good look, because I need to take her down to the Nursery," he said, still staring at the little girl. "Anwen was barely awake when I left there, I don't think that she'll be up for any visitors," Sirius added. The medi-witch came out, levitating an infant bed.

"Mr. Black, we need to get that little one down to the Nursery. You can come down and see her in a little while," she told him and he nodded at her. He then kissed Lilyan's head and gently placed her into the bed. The witch walked the baby down the hall and Sirius stared at them until she was gone.

"Prongs, Lily is exhausted from helping Anwen. They are going to move Anwen into the room across the hall from Lily, but I think that you need to get her back to bed," Sirius told him, and James nodded at him. He knocked on the door and he could hear Lily tell him to come in. Sirius stayed with us for a few minutes, but when James came out with Lily, he wanted to get back to his wife.

Harry quickly went and said hello his Mum, before she fell asleep as well; and then James took us to see Emma. Harry gushed over his little sister, as did Ginny. _Would I ever be able to have children? Could I even dream about it? Does anyone know if the infection can be passed from father to child? I wonder if Ewan would know? Why are you even thinking about this? No one would ever want to have children with me._ I walked away from all the happiness, I needed a moment alone. I walked down the hall and sat down, my head in my hands. I didn't realize she had sat down next to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting her hand on my arm. I looked up at her, surprised by the contact. When I asked her to go out, I told her my story. _She barely reacted, almost like she already knew. _She still had agreed to go, and here she was touching me.

"Yeah, just worried about Anwen and Lilyan. I'm sure they'll be fine. Winnie is just really special to me, for the longest time, it was just us. She took care of me, healed me after my episodes. I hate to think of anything happening to her, or even her little girl. Look, if you don't want to do this tonight..."

"Oh no, you're not getting out of taking me out that easy. I have waited for far too long for you to ask me out. We are going out, and by the way, I kiss on the first date," she said with a wink. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Hi everyone. I've gotten a few questions in reviews that I couldn't respond to, because there wasn't an email or FF account to reply to; so I will answer them now. First, Peter is slipping in and out of the castle. Second, I was asked about who is whose godparent. Here is the full list: Potter kids: Harry--Sirius, Evan--Remus, Emma--Anwen. Black kids: Ethan--Albus and Lilyan--Lily and Andromeda, since they couldn't pick and they named her after both of them. Okay, this chapter is long, and I've been asked to give a tissue warning on chapters, and I must say that this one carries one. Songs for this chapter: "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush and "Surprise" by Jars of Clay. I don't own HP and no infringement is intended. The original characters and the situations that they are in are my creation alone. Thanks to everyone who has put either myself as the author or the story on alert, and deep thanks to those who take the time to review. I will be starting to publish a new story in another week or so, called "Knots", so for those of you who have me on author alert, you'll be notified when it comes up. Again, thanks for reading. Mutt**

**Chapter 17:**

**Empty**

**Anwen POV:**

"You should have seen Harry flying, it was amazing. He was always good, but on the new broom, he's...wow," Sirius was talking away, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. He was sitting on my bed with me, leaning against the back of the bed, I was nestled against his chest, firmly wrapped within his arms. I was so exhausted from giving birth yesterday, but I wanted to stay awake. The Healer had promised that we would get to see Lilyan in a little while, and I very much wanted to feed her. They hadn't brought her to me at all the night before.

"Sirius, so you're saying that the broom flies well? How shocking," I said dryly and he threw his head back and laughed. "That broom is better than what half of the professional teams are flying on. Anything else happen at the match?" I asked him, the last words obscured with a huge yawn. I was trying to stay awake, but the reality dawned on me that I was loosing the battle.

"Winnie honey, why don't you sleep? I can feed Lilyan when they bring her in." I started shaking my head at him. _ If I didn't feed her soon, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to._ "Love, why? You know that they want her to take both, she needs to gain as much weight as she can." I started to cry again. _Our little girl was so small, I felt like it was somehow my fault._ He gently wiped the tears from my face.

"Sirius, if I don't do it soon, I won't be able to. Please, I'm staying awake to see my baby," I told him, and he nodded his head, realizing this wasn't a battle worth having. "Shh, please don't cry love. I'll tell you more about yesterday, just please stop crying," he begged me, bringing his lips to rest on my head. I nodded at him and he started talking again as we settled down, and I found my head's favorite place in the crook between his arm and chest.

"So anyway, Harry did this great fake out, from what James told me, went into a drive and drew the other Seeker after him, then he went and caught the Snitch. Then Malfoy and some stupid boys tried to prank him that there were Dementors on the grounds again, and guess what that amazing godson of mine did?" he asked. I had no idea. "What?" I said, closing my eyes and leaning into the warmth of his body.

"He produced a Patronus shield. Can you believe it? He's only 13 and did a Patronus shield. Amazing," Sirius cooed, sounding as if he was talking about one of our children. "Moony is so proud of him, thinks he may be able to produce a full–bodied Patronus Charm soon too. I wonder what shape it will take?" He questioned me, but I had something else on my mind.

"Speaking of Moony, I wonder how his date went with Tonks last night. She was so excited when he finally asked her out. We've been trying to get him to do it for months," I told him. I could hear Sirius chuckle.

"Well, he was humming when he came over to watch Ethan today, and my cousin is coming over to help him. I think we can assume that it went well," he said. I smiled and yawned.

"Good, he deserves some happiness," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

"Love, how about if you sleep, and when the Healer comes or they bring Lilyan in, I promise I will wake you. I'm worried about you, you weren't this tired when you had Ethan last year, please sleep, for me," he begged me, and I was too tired to resist. I nodded against him, and felt myself fade into sleep.

**Sirius POV:**

She was leaning against me, and I felt her get heavy and her breathing began to slow down. _She looks horrible._ _After Ethan was born last year, she was tired, but she was still radiant. Now, she's just pale and so weak. She went into labor so quickly, and everything happened so fast, there were several times that her magic nearly got out of control. She comfortably managed everything when Ethan was born, this time, it didn't feel that way. _ I wrapped my arm tighter around her and held her as she slept. I began thinking about our little Lilyan. I had never seen a baby so small, but she looked perfect. Her little fingers didn't even make it around my finger when I held her, and she weighed nothing in my arms. S_he's just so tiny, and I know that they are worried about her, but she's the most beautiful little thing I've ever seen._ Healer Wickman came in with another Healer. He looked very serious and had a large file with him.

"Mr. Black, this is Healer Orlaf, he was brought in to look at Anwen and Lilyan. We were all puzzled as to why she went into labor and delivered so quickly. We have a theory of what might have happened, but he would like to examine her magic. It won't wake her up or be painful to her," Healer Wickman said. I nodded in agreement and slid myself from Anwen and then from the bed. I sat down in the chair next to her and held her hand. Healer Orlaf set down his file and began waving his wand over her in intricate patterns. He made several small noises, and then scribbled something down on the file.

"Our hypothesis was correct. She has indeed been poisoned," he said. _What did he just say? How was Anwen poisoned? When?_

"What did you just say?" I stammered out. _My wife was poisoned. Where was I? Who the hell...well you know who, Sirius. How did that rat get close enough to her?_

"Mr. Black, we think that your wife was poisoned, probably something she ingested in the 24 hours prior to her going into labor," I could feel my face tense, and Healer Wickman must have seen it. "You need to stay calm right now, there are some questions we need answered before we can begin treating her," the Healer spoke calmly and quietly. I could hear the roaring noise in my head, but I knew that I had to control my anger, at least for right now. I got up and started pacing the room. "Mr. Potter is across the hall, would it be helpful if we asked him to come in here?" she added. I nodded at her, still pacing back and forth. The Healer quickly left the room and returned with James a moment later.

"Sirius, what's wrong? How is Anwen?" he asked, coming over and putting his hand on my arm.

"They think she's been poisoned. I need to stay calm right now, to help them, but I'm having a hard time controlling my anger, Prongs," I told him, still pacing back and forth. _That rat tried to kill my wife and my baby daughter._

"Okay, Sirius, we'll figure this out; but you've got to answer their questions first," James said calmly. "Come on, you can do this man, Anwen needs you to," he told me, putting both hands on my shoulders and looking at me straight on. I nodded at him. One of the benefits of being friends for so long, he knew how to calm me down. I took a deep breath, and looked at the Healers.

"What do you know, and what help can I give you?"

"I am sure that she was poisoned, we're running a complete analysis of her blood right now to determine the exact nature of the poison," the Healer told me, her voice calm and even. It was helping me to try and stay the same way. _She clearly has the temperament to be around pregnant women._

"It's very slow acting, and it's draining her magic away," Healer Orlaf continued. His voice was gravely and clipped and I wasn't getting the same benefit from hearing him speak. "It didn't come up as any known poison, so it was developed for this use. We think that somehow your daughter knew what was happening, and she quite literally fought her way out. She isn't showing any signs of the poison herself, and her magic is remarkably strong. We have some other concerns about her, but we can discuss them later," Healer Orlaf said, Healer Wickman nodding her head in agreement.

"What exactly did she do on Friday?" Healer Orlaf asked. I closed my eyes and tried to think. Friday, the morning after Emma was born. What were we doing?

"She firecalled in to work, she doesn't teach on Fridays so she told them that she would be grading papers at home. She went back to bed then for a while, and I went to go and get Ethan from the friends who had been watching him the night before. We had some lunch and then she put Ethan down for his nap. That night we went out for dinner, to the little Muggle Italian place that she loves not far from our house. We walked back home and it was later that night that she started having those contractions. Just a few of them," I explained. _I knew that there was something not right about how quickly she just started having them. I wanted to take her to hospital then, she fought me on it._ "She was convinced that they were the practice ones, whatever they are called..." I told them, getting lost in my own thoughts again. _How did I let this happen to her?_

"Well that gives us a time frame to work in. She most likely ingested it at dinner the night before. Now, we have a few more questions to ask you, before we can begin treatment. You and your wife are magically bound, are you not?" Healer Orlaf asked and I nodded at him.

"Um, yes, we were married with the ancient rituals, so we are fully bound to one another. Why?" _What the hell did the type of wedding we have matter?_

"That means that your magic is shared?" he questioned and I nodded, understanding why he wanted to know about our wedding. "Now, we have caught on rather quickly, which will be good for you. Had this continued, it would have started to drain away your magic as well. Well designed and rather insidious potion," he said, almost respectful of what had been done. "However, it will also make her treatment easier. Once we formulate an antidote, we can begin transfusing her magic with yours," he concluded.

"You said there was something about Lilyan. Tell me, does she need this antidote or a transfusion?" _ Please let my little princess be okay. _Healer Wickman stepped toward me, and put a gentle hand on my forearm, just like I had seen her do a hundred times when Anwen was upset or anxious about trying to get pregnant or once she was.

"Mr. Black, your daughter weighs less than 5 pounds. She wasn't quite ready to be born," she explained, and I felt like my heart had fallen to the floor. _Not my little girl, please?_ "Her heart and lungs are not fully developed. She's weak and struggling to breathe on her own. We have been giving her potions to speed up their growth, and there are several charms on her to help regulate her heart and lungs. She's very tiny, Mr. Black, we need to watch her very carefully," I gripped James arm hard, it was too much. _I can't even think about loosing one of them, let alone both of them._ "Please, listen to me Mr. Black, we have every confidence that she will be fine, but it is going to take a while. We will keep her in the nursery most of the time so that we can monitor her more closely, but when it's time for her to eat, we want you or someone in your family to be the one to feed her. She needs the contact of people who love her, it really will help her get stronger. I also want people to come down to the Nursery and visit her and touch her, even if she's in her warming bed."

"I am going to tell your wife that breast feeding won't be possible, at least not right now while she is so weak, and while the poison is still in her system. We'll see what happens when she starts getting her strength back." I nodded at them, but then looked at James. We needed to talk alone, and soon. He could read the look in my eyes and nodded ever so slightly.

"We need to contact the Auror department, bring them in on this," James said. "I'll go get in touch with King and Mad–Eye. No one else should be handling this, or Anwen will have a fit," he added. I nodded at him. "I'll also call a family meeting, and have Remus bring Tonks along." I nodded again.

"We'll be down the hall when the Aurors arrive. We'll be ready to discuss all of this with them. Your wife and daughter will both be all right, given time. It would be best if you stayed strong for the two of them," Healer Wickman said, again laying a hand on my arm, I hadn't even realized that she had taken it away. I shook her hand as well as that of Healer Orlaf.

"Thank you so much, for everything that you're doing for both of them," I told them honestly.

"We'll send Lilyan down as soon as she's awake, so that you can give her the bottle," and then they left. As soon as the door was closed, James and I both started firing off Patronuses. He contacted King, Alastor and Remus. I contacted Albus and Minerva, they needed to know what was happening, and someone was going to have to tell Harry, Ginny and the others. I also contacted Arthur, letting him tell Molly.

"James, there is no way that Peter could have pulled off a poison like this on his own. The guy was awful in Potions class, " I said, and James agreed with me.

"The options of who is working with him are slim, there aren't many former Death Eaters out there anymore, at least not ones that were smart enough to pull this off. I won't say it in front of Albus, but..."

"I know," Prongs agreed. "He's hated Anwen forever, I wouldn't put it past him, but it's not something that I'd mention in front of Albus either. Maybe ask Mad Eye to look into it privately. There are others, though. King will know better, so will Alastor, but I would start with Narcissa Malfoy," he said, nearly reading my mind.

"My family," I nearly choked on the word, "once again makes my life hell. Honestly James, is it murder if the people you kill are a disgrace to the human race?"

"Yes, but, I certainly wouldn't fault you. Do Anwen's parents even know that she had the baby last night?" he asked.

"They do, I called her mother on the telephone earlier. She is going to fly in next week. I suppose that I need to call and tell her what happened, but I can't. How do you tell a mother that her daughter and granddaughter are in grave danger?" I sat down and put my head in my hands. Prongs said nothing, he just put his hand on my shoulder. The door opened, and a medi-witch came in carrying my little Lilyan.

"Here you go Mr. Black, your little girl is ready for her bottle. If you can get her to take the whole thing, we'll be pleased as punch. When you're ready, you or Mr. Potter can bring her back to us. Would you like me to bring your wife and daughter over. I think that it would be good for Mrs. Black to have some friendly faces around her?" she said, far too chipper for what was going on in this room.

"That would be wonderful, please bring them over if they would like," James replied, hoping that the peppy woman would leave us alone then. She placed Lilyan in my arms and handed me the bottle. I pulled the blanket aside a little and looked at her sweet face. She had the rosiest round cheeks and her lips were the same pink as the hydrangeas that Anwen had planted along the back fence at Grimmauld. Her green eyes were open and looking at me, and her hair had started to curl around her face. _She is the most beautiful girl on the planet. I see so much of Anwen in her._ I took the cap off the bottle and gave it to her, and she greedily started drinking. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Lilyan drank most of her bottle, and I knew that I needed to take her back to the Nursery, but I loved the way she felt in my arms, so I held her for a minute more. They brought Lily and Emma over. Lily was looking much better today. Healer Wickman decided to keep her for an extra day, because she was so tired after helping Anwen yesterday. She would most likely be headed home tonight, with Molly Weasley coming over to stay with her for a few days. I debated whether I should wake Anwen and let her see our little girl or not. Anwen looked so pale, but peaceful as she was sleeping there, so I decided against it. James summoned the medi-witch for me and when she arrived I kissed my princess on the head and handed to the witch.

"Daddy will be down to see you in a little while, Princess. You keep getting stronger," I told her and the medi-witch smiled and left the room.

King and Mad–Eye arrived first, quickly followed by Remus, Tonks and Ethan. I started relaying what we had been told, and I really didn't like what I was seeing in the eyes of the three Aurors.

"Bloody hell! That girl is one of the most cautious Aurors we have, and if she was somehow hoodwinked, then we are in trouble. I will take two of the best investigators over to the restaurant, Sirius, and see if we can find anything out there," Alastor bristled. "I'll also see if they have a sample of this poison, might help us figure out who brewed it," he added. "Constant Vigilance," he barked as he swept out of the room, his metal foot clunking on the tile floor.

"Tonks, I'm giving you leave from the rest of your duties at the office and your reports, you're on guard duty with Anwen until she's home. Don't worry about Scrimgeour, you're my apprentice, and I'm placing you here," King said, his deep voice resonating in the small room. "Keep your eyes open, the only people allowed in are people you know. Make sure that you ask them a question that you know they could only answer as well. Whoever brewed this potion would certainly be more than capable of brewing Polyjuice Potion," he said. "In the meantime, I am going to go and look at the recent activities of some of the former Death Eaters, see if there is anything that would help us figure out who brewed this," he continued. "Sirius, the first person that I'm going to look is at Malfoy. He and Pettigrew were close, he gave him shelter when we were after him the last time, and he certainly has motivation all his own. His wife is a gifted Potions Mistress. Anyone else you think might have a motive?" he asked and I looked at Prongs and Moony and they both nodded slightly.

"Look, he might have said he switched sides, but Severus Snape never liked Anwen, and while it pains me to admit it, he is exceptional at Potions. Just, please, don't let Albus know we suspect him?"

"Will do," he said with a curt nod. "If you need me, or anything from the office, don't hesitate to call. Everyone loves and respects her there." I smiled at him as he spoke.

"Thanks King, you're a good partner to her," I offered him my hand, and he took it.

"Your wife is a good partner, and an even better person. We'll find whoever did this, and we will punish them. You just help her get better, and take care of that beautiful girl of yours, and this big guy here," he said, tilting his head toward Ethan, who was sitting on the floor playing with some toys.

"I will," I told him, and then King left.

"While you're all here, I am going to run home and get some things, I should be back in a few minutes. Does anyone need anything while I'm gone?" Tonks asked, and the rest shook their heads. I pulled my cousin aside.

"While you're at home, can you ask your Mum to call Anwen's Ma in Canada, let her know what's happened? I know it should be me, but I just don't want to leave them right now. I know that she has the number and they've talked before..." she cut me off.

"Consider it done. Mum would do anything for you Sirius, you have to know that," she said with that cocky half smile that I realized was an awful lot like the one that Anwen loved on me. "She's going to want to come and stay here, is it all right?"

"I think it will be best to wait until Anwen is out of hospital, that's when she's going to need the help. Tell Ma that I will send updates as I can, and we can arrange when she'll come over," I suggested. She looked over my shoulder at Moony and gave him a longing look, and then she turned and left as well. All that was left in the room were my three oldest friends, and our very small children.

"Sirius, we've been talking, and I want Ethan to come to our house," Lily said and I went to protest. She's just given birth, the last thing she needs is a nearly one year old running around the house with her almost three year old. "Stop, and hear me out. Molly is coming to stay with us to help out, and Remus just said that he would move in for the time being as well. Peter may very well try to get at Ethan, but it will be next to impossible for him to get anywheres near him at the Manor, especially with all of us around. You need to concentrate on getting Anwen better," she spoke so calmly, and I realized that she was right. Emma started to stir in James arms, and then she woke up completely. Lily got up from the rocker that they had brought in for her and took her to the corner changing table to change her nappie. That's when I heard Anwen stirring behind me. I went back to the chair I had by the side of her bed and took her hand.

"Sirius, is that Lilyan?" she whispered at me.

"No sweetheart, that's Emma. Lilyan is fine, she's in the Nursery right now. I've seen her this morning and given her a bottle, and she's doing fine," I told her. Anwen tried to sit up, but I got up, and put my hands on her shoulders and gently kept her down in the bed.

"I told you I wanted to feed her," she said, looking up at me with hurt in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, I know that you do, but the Healer was in while you were asleep, and it's just not a good idea right now," I told her calmly. I could see the hurt change to terror, and her fear gripped me.

"Why? What happened? Tell me Sirius," she demanded. Lily came over and took the seat on the other side of her bed, and took her hand.

"Anwen, you were poisoned. They think that somehow it was slipped in your dinner the other night. Alastor and King are already on it," I told her before she could go into Auror mode. "It's draining away your magic and making you very weak. Our smart little girl could tell what was happening, and she made herself be born before she could be hurt." I was beginning to comprehend just what that little baby had done. "She's going to be fine, and the Healers are working on finding the antidote for you, and then they can start your treatments to bring your magic level back. The best thing that you can do is rest right now," I told her but she started to cry again.

I got up on the bed and pulled her to me and held her to my chest. "Love, you're not going to make anything better by crying. You and Lilyan are going to be fine, and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. Now, can you stop crying, for me please," I said, stoking her cheeks and leaning down to kiss her gently. "Your little man is here, would you like to see him?"

"Ethan is here? Why?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Anwen, the whole family is here," I told her and she looked over to see James, holding Emma, giving her a bottle, talking with Remus. Lily was next to her, smiling warmly. "Now, let me get that little guy over here, so that he can see his Mummy," and I got up and went to get Ethan from his play area. I picked him up and placed him on the bed next to my Winnie.

"Mum,mum,mum,mum," he said, crawling up to put his head on her chest. She gently wrapped her arms around him.

"Hello my sweet one, how is Mummy's boy?"

"Baby?" The little boy asked and I stroked his head.

"Your little sister is in the Nursery. I'll take you down in a little while to see her," I told him and his little face broke out into a big smile, then he snuggled himself back down on my wife. Anwen ran her fingers over his back and it wasn't long before he had fallen asleep there. I was surprised when Remus produced his playpen from his pocket and expanded it so that we could put my sleeping son into it.

I explained to Anwen everything that they had said about her, and that Healer Wickman was hopeful that she would be able to feed Lilyan once they had her body on the mend. I affirmed the plan for Ethan was and that Tonks would be staying with her full time.

"I don't need full time protection Sirius. I'm an Auror myself," she protested.

"But you can't do any magic right now. Humor me, let Tonks stay with you, please." She rolled her eyes at me. "It could be worse, they could have wanted Mad–Eye to stay with you," and she smiled at that. We chatted for a while, Tonks came back and the medi-witch came to get Lily so she could eat lunch in her room.

"Sirius, we're going to go and get something to eat. When we get back I'll help you feed Ethan. Anything in particular that you want?" Moony asked and I shook my head at him, and the guys slipped from my room. Tonks was seated on the far side, reading reports, trying to ignore us. I shifted comfortably into the bed with my wife. She curled herself into me and I tried to let my love wash over her.

"What aren't you telling me, love?" she asked. I stroked the hair away from her face and rested my hand against her face.

"Lilyan's heart and lungs weren't fully developed when she was born." Anwen gasped and had the most frightened look on her face. "Shh, shh, they're giving her potions and keeping her warm and she will be fine, eventually. They want us to hold her and bottle feed her every chance they get, and I'm not leaving here. One of us will always be awake when our princess needs us. Now, would you please just rest for me? You need to conserve the strength that you have," I asked her, and she feebly nodded against me. It didn't take time for her to succumb to sleep.

Hours past, and Anwen didn't awaken again. Healer Wickman had discharged Lily, and James had taken Lily, Emma and Ethan home. Remus went over to Grimmauld and got some clothes and supplies for Ethan and took them to the Manor, and then returned. Tonks was here, and she was telling me about the conversation with Anwen's Ma.

"Rhosyn was ready to hop on the first plane that she could get out, but Anwen's Da stopped her. Needless to say she's worried. When she does come over, Liddy said that she would like to come with her, you'll have more help than you know what to do with," she laughed and I sighed at the idea of her family being with us for an extended period.

Anwen had yet to awaken again, and while the Healers had been in to examine her, they hadn't started her treatments and they hadn't even given me any more answers. Tonks made them each give her a piece of information that she alone would be privy to, that way they could come in and prove it was indeed them. They were a little surprised at the level of security that we were insisting on, but I don't think they realized how serious the situation was. Anwen was being stalked by a killer who could hide in plain sight. When they were gone, I looked over, and Moony was stroking Tonks cheek, and I felt like I should leave them alone, except that they were in my wife's hospital room.

"Hey, guys, um, I could really use some tea. Do you think you could get me some?" I asked, coming up with an excuse for them to leave the room.

"Sure thing. We'll be back in a minute," Tonks popped up and Moony followed suit. As they were leaving, I noticed her take his hand in hers. _I don't think he has any idea what he's gotten himself into there, but they seem happy. I can't wait to tell Anwen_. I sat down next to her. She had rolled over onto her side and she had curled herself up, much like she slept at home. I brushed the hair away from her face, and hooked it behind her ear. Her normally pale skin now had a yellow pallor to it, and the beautiful blush was gone from her cheeks. I could feel her heart beating, slow but regular, and she was in calm spirits.

"Sweetheart," I whispered at her, "I know you're sleeping, but I wanted to tell you what's happening here. They've brought me Lilyan to feed again. They said that her little heart is getting stronger, and they were happy with how much she's eaten today. She's eating every couple of hours now, that's a good thing. She is so beautiful, her face looks just like yours. Her hair is curling up as well, poor kid seems to be cursed with my locks. Takes time to make them look good in the morning, but you know that. You were still sleeping when she was in here last, and I laid her down next to you for a few minutes. She cooed when she saw your face, she knows her Mummy, and she loves you so much already. Ethan met her too, just kept saying baby. I think Lilyan might be too much for him to say," I told her. I continued to brush my hand over her head and down her back. "Winnie, love, you've got to get better," I whispered to her, "you promised that you'd never leave me again. We've got two little ones who need their Mummy and Winnie, my sweet love..." I couldn't speak any more, silent tears were running down my cheeks and I laid my head on the bed . I could feel her breaths gently floating across my face. I just lay there, trying to get myself together. _Don't let your mind wander Sirius. You couldn't handle the places it could lead you, _ I chastised myself, and pulled myself together as Healer Orlaf walked in. I got up and greeted him, extending my hand. I asked him the pre–arranged question, and he gave the correct answer.

"Sorry about that, but we can't be too careful anymore. Are you ready to give her the antidote?" I asked as we shook hands.

"We've run into a bit of a problem. We've isolated the poison, but we can't seem to get an antidote that will work properly when we introduce it to the sample of her blood that we're testing on," he explained. Just then Remus and Tonks returned. "We're going to continue working on it, but making it work with her specific magic and blood is proving to be quite difficult," he finished. Tonks changed her hair color quickly, letting me know it was her and Remus pointed to the place where his Order tattoo was. No one knew where it was outside of his closest friends. I quickly nodded at them, and then went back to what the Healer was saying.

"I don't mean to intrude here, but I think that we have a friend who might be able to help. Have you ever heard of Ewan duChamp?" Remus asked him, and Healer Orlaf's eyes flew wide.

"You're friends with Mr duChamp? I saw him speak about the Wolfsbane potion last year. He has some colleagues who have done extraordinary things with Werewolf infected children here in Great Britain," he said, and I could see the smirk pass over Moony's face. Those colleagues would of course be Remus and Lily.

"We are; in fact, Anwen was the one who got him out of France during the first war. She saved his life, Ewan would insist on helping her. If you don't mind, we'd could contact him, and see if he could come over," I told him. The Healer nodded vigorously.

"I'll give him a call," Remus said. "Is there a place I can make an international fire call?"

"Yes, you can use the floo in the Healer's Conference Room, we often need to make international calls for consultations," he said, and indicated the door.

"Once you know if he can come, we'll call King and let him make the arrangements for the Portkey. All he'll have to do is tell people it's to help Winnie, and everyone will fall over backwards to help. Honestly, she may be one of the best liked people in the whole Ministry," Tonks said and Remus nodded at her. The two men left and I sat down with my cousin, who handed me the tea. We sat in silence for a while, Anwen just continuing to sleep. I was beginning to feel very helpless in the midst of all of this.

Remus came back and said that Ewan would be here as soon as our Ministry could arrange the Portkey. Tonks quickly went down to the Healer's office to call Kingsley. When she returned she said that Ewan would be here within two hours. The medi-witch brought me Lilyan again, and as I was feeding her, Anwen finally awoke. She looked even weaker than this morning, but she insisted that I help her sit up so that she could feed our little girl. I gave her Lilyan and as she gave the infant her bottle, she began to sing to her. I stood in awe and wonder at my two girls, both fighting to be there, and I could feel my heart breaking. Anwen looked up at me, tears in her eyes.

"Sirius, love, you have to have faith. We're going to be all right, I promise you," she whispered, and I nodded at her. We were in silence as Lilyan finished eating, and when she was done, Anwen kissed her little head, and I took her back. Anwen settled herself back down, and was quickly asleep again. _She is most definitely getting weaker. Ewan had better be able to help her when he gets here, and do it right quick. _ I walked Lilyan down the hall to the Nursery where Patience was in tending the babies.

"How's she holding up there?" she asked me, putting a motherly arm around me.

"She's weak, and only getting weaker," I said, suddenly unable to say anything else. The older woman surprised me when she reached around and put me into a strong hug.

"You're married to one of the strongest witches I've ever seen, and she loves ya fiercely. She's got too much fight in her to leave ya and those pretty babies alone. She'll make it, I promise ya," she said, and then she let me go.

"Thank you," I told her, and then headed back to Anwen's room. Remus and Tonks had started playing some Muggle card game, and they asked if I wanted to join them. I told them no, and just went back to Anwen's side. I laid down on the bed next to her, and she instinctively curled into me. It was too peaceful, and I fell into a deep sleep.

I was awoken with Healer Orlaf entering the room to examine Anwen again. I got up off the bed and he began moving his wand in the same intricate patterns as before. His face formed into a scowl and he looked up at me.

"Her magic is nearly fully depleted. If it reaches nothing, we may have a hard time ever getting it back." My heart fell. _Even if she recovered, she would be a Muggle again. She's the most powerful and talented witch I know and now, there'd be nothing left._ I looked at him in horror. "The poison is slowly weakening her as well, the longer this goes on, the harder it will be for her to recover," he finished. "It is possible to stop it however. We would need to put her into a type of coma. It would essentially freeze her at the level she is at right now. Her heart rate and respiration would slow down to nearly nothing, and all other autonomic functions would essentially cease. When we know how to treat her fully, we could resuscitate her and begin treatments," he said. Moony moved over and put his hand on my shoulder. _She'd be here, but she'd be gone too. Her comatose state had nearly killed me after the attack when she was 16. How was I going to handle this one? I didn't really have a choice, she couldn't loose her magic completely, and I certainly couldn't let her die._ I nodded at the Healer. He rolled Anwen onto her back, and began moving his wand over her, saying an incantation. When he was done, Anwen didn't look any different, but for the first time since our wedding I couldn't feel her. I couldn't feel her heart beating in my chest, I couldn't read her moods, she wasn't there and I simply felt empty.

"She will know that you're here with her. Talk to her, read to her, make sure that she knows she's safe. I'll be in to check on her in a little while, and when Mr. duChamp arrives, I will make sure that he's brought here to see all of you," he added before he left the room. I sank into the chair, the emptiness that was in me seemed to be growing.

"I can't feel her Moony, it's like she's gone," I told him and he simply patted my back.

"She'll be back Sirius. She will fight her way back, she loves you and those kids too much." I tried to nod at him, but I couldn't. All I could feel right now was the emptiness.

**Author's Second Note: Please don't throw things at me, everything will be resolved, but remember one of the tags on this story is angst. The next chapter will be up very soon. Mutt**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Hi, and thanks for not wanting to kill me after that last chapter, I know I left things rather bleak, but it will get better, eventually. This chapter is dedicated to my most prolific reviewer and friend HGRH35, for her amazing reviews and for her absolute devotion to Tonks and Remus. There is a fair amount of sweetness between these two here. Also for those who need a tissue warning, this is a two tissue chapter. Songs for the mood are: "Silence" by Jars of Clay, "Across the Universe" by the Beatles and "Answer" by Sarah MacLachlan. Things that I own: nine very worn out copies of Harry Potter books, a new pirate hat that I have to wear every night this week at camp, and my very awesome Mac. Things I don't own: the Harry Potter world or most of thse characters, oh well. Thanks so much for reading, Mutt  
**

**Chapter 18:**

**Halls**

**Tonks POV:**

"I've never seen him like this," I told Remus. We were standing in the hall outside of Anwen's room, both of us turned sideways, leaning against the wall, looking at one another. "I guess I never realized just how intertwined they were, he's barely breathing in there. He only perks up when they bring the baby in for him to feed," I explained to him. I hadn't left the room in the last two days unless King or Mad–Eye were here to keep guard.

Ewan had arrived from Canada and he immediately set to work on finding the right antidote, but it was proving very difficult. He came in several times and had to draw more blood to continue their testing. Thankfully, Anwen wasn't feeling any of it.

"James and Lily are in love with each other, deeply;" Remus started, "but Anwen and Sirius, it's different. They can feel each other, feel the other's heart beating, all of the time. When he first explained it to me, I thought he was mental, but then Anwen said the same thing. I don't think Sirius knows what to do without that comfort of having her with him. They were part of each other, like from the day they met. They moved around each other, and their lives were so integrated, even when she was a first year. I think it scared Sirius to be honest, and he didn't know what to do about it. He kept up with his wild dating, and you could see how it would break her heart, but she never said anything. I used to get so angry at him, because he had no idea what he did to her," he shook his head, apparently remembering something painful. "But then, they were married, and there was this deep change in both of them. They comforted each other, brought out the best of each other," he was trying to explain it to me, but I didn't get it. I looked at him confused. I could see him trying to find a way to explain it. "Did you know that the binding lasts beyond death? They are literally bound for all of eternity. I can't imagine what it's doing to him right now," he told me. I could see the pain in his face. This was one of his best friends and the woman that he considered his sister. I reached up and touched his face, tracing my finger along the worry lines that were forming along his eyes. His face seemed to soften at my touch, and I stood on my tip toes and gently brushed my lips across his. _If it were up to me, I would pull him down here and snog him senseless, but I don't think that would help matters._

"You don't have to do that you know," he said quietly.

"I wanted to do that, silly man. When are you going to get it through your thick head that I'm not here because of anything other than my desire to be near you?" I told him, and his eyes fell to the floor.

"You're remarkable, you do know that, right?" he said, and I just shook my head at him. This was going to take a while. Good thing I had no intention of going anywhere. "I need to get back to the Manor. I promised to take Evan to the store to get his Mummy and Daddy a Valentine, figured that I would take Ethan as well. They need to have some time away from all of this. I'll be back later, have Sirius fire call if he needs anything besides some clean clothes. The medi-witches are threatening to strip and bathe him in the hall if he doesn't clean himself up today," he said, finally looking up at me. I smiled at him.

"Good thing too, because he's getting a little ripe in there. Cleansing charms only work so well for so long. I'll be here, and hopefully by the time you get back we'll have some good news," I smiled at him.

"All right then, I'll be off," he said, but he didn't move.

"Okay, and I'll be here," I said, and he still didn't move. He was twisting his hands together and then, he leaned down and kissed me, really quickly. _He kissed me, that's the first time he kissed me instead of me having to do it to him. _ I smiled at him, and he turned and walked down the hall. I could swear that there was a spring in his step.

I pushed the door to Anwen's room open, and I immediately wanted to turn around and leave again. Sirius was sitting in the chair next to her bed, he was leaning over, his head resting on her belly, looking up at her still face. I could tell that he was crying. He had brought her battery operated music player, and a song that was recorded by a Muggle band that they both liked was playing on it.

"...I know you don't play this song anymore, I don't think you've played it since that night. But I'm playing it now, because the last time we played it you found your way back to me. My world did change, love. You changed it, for the better, you and those two beautiful children of ours," his voice caught in his throat. "Winnie, I can't do this without you, I know the kids need me, but I can't breathe without you...please hear the song and know that I miss you Winnie...please... just let me know that you feel me....something my love, just a little something..."

My eyes were clouding over with tears and I slipped back out of the room and slid down to sit on the floor. _Who knew he had that in him._ I rubbed the back of my hands over my eyes to wipe away the tears. Four days, it had only been four days and so much had happened. I wasn't even sure if Sirius knew that Peter had been in the castle again, that he'd made it as far as Gryffindor tower and had tried to hurt Ron. As much as he loved Harry, I didn't think that he would much care right now. Lily was livid and wanted to bring Harry home, James convinced her that with everything else that was going on, now was not the time to try and home school him. Dumbledore increased the security once again, and he'd called the Order out to patrol on the Hogsmeade visit this Saturday.

My head turned as I heard a familiar metallic clunk against the floor. I got up and turned to face Alastor Moody.

"What did you call me the first time you met me, Ms. Tonks?" he barked in his affectionate way.

"I called you scary face. But, in my defense, I was only 6 at the time so I didn't know any better," I whispered at him and he sort of smiled at me. "What are you doing here in the middle of the day? Weren't you supposed to meet with the Minister today?"

"I was, I did and I have nothing left to do at the Ministry. I quit," he said resolutely. I felt my jaw drop.

"What? What happened this time?"

"That ruddy idiot didn't see how this," he said pointing his finger at Anwen's door, "could possibly be his fault. Not that removing witches and wizards from guard duty at Azkaban could have been the reason that Pettigrew was able to escape or anything. We got into an argument about the appropriate use of funds," he said, sounding frighteningly like Fudge, "and I finally decided that I had had enough, and quit. I'm here to relieve you so that you can go home and change and shower, and then when you get back, we'll talk about what I know on this case so that you can help King. Need to find that no good louse of a rat and strangle him straight away," he added under his breath. I had to stifle a laugh. If Anwen knew how worked up he was right now, she would be touched.

"You know what, I was at home already today. King came by before he went into the office with Amelia and they sat here while I was at home. Why don't we just sit down and talk, Sirius needs some time alone in there with his wife," I said.

"Fine with me, but I don't sit on floors, missy," he said, indicating the chairs and he summoned them to us, and we took up vigil across from the door to her room.

He told me about the day at the Ministry, and a blow by blow of the meeting. _ Crap, the department lost two good Aurors now. Alastor won't go back for love nor money; and Anwen will be out of commission for a long while. The Healer said that once they can start her treatments, it will be at least 6 months before she can do any magic. We'll have to keep someone with her at all times. _ We talked about the Quidditch World Cup, which seems to be all that the Minister has been talking about. Alastor was convinced that there wouldn't be enough security. _He never thinks that there will be enough security._

A few minutes later James came in and I stood to greet him and ask him the perfunctory question. Mad–Eye looked quite thrilled at this act of vigilance on my part. Before he went in, I stopped James and put a hand on his shoulder. "He was pretty broken up a while ago, I'm not sure what you'll find in there. I'm really worried about him," I told James.

"We all are. Albus has postponed the Council of 13 meeting for next week. If Sirius didn't show, it would have been perceived as a possible abdication of the family seat. There would have been movement to have the Black family replaced . I hope Ewan gets this figured out, and right soon. I'm afraid of what will happen if he doesn't," he confided in me, and I nodded at him in understanding. James opened the door and went in, and I resumed my conversation with Mad–Eye.

The afternoon dragged on, Remus returned and Alastor left, James came out and Arthur stopped by after work. We all moved around, but my cousin never really reacted to any of us. He couldn't tear himself from her. The medi-witches brought Lilyan down, and she was the only one who could break into his malaise. James and Remus hauled him into the shower off Anwen's room, and he did emerge cleaner and in new clothes, but it was clear he didn't care: Sirius hadn't done his hair.

While the Marauders were both here, I dozed off in the rocker for a while, knowing that the couple was safe while their friends were near by. James left to go home, and Sirius had again fallen asleep, his head resting next to his wife. Remus and I sat talking quietly.

"Did you have a chance to talk with Ewan?" I asked him, reaching over to take his hand.

"I did. He's making progress. They've stopped the growth of the infection, and made some strides at reversing the effects, but it isn't fully effective yet. He doesn't want to awaken Anwen until he knows that it will work," he told me.

"I hope it's soon, I'm afraid Sirius will crack," I told him, and he nodded at me. "It's almost midnight, you should be heading back to the Manor," I added.

"I know, but I like sitting here with you," he said quietly. I smiled at his sentiment. I was looking at him. His eyes were boring into mine, and I was trying to decide what to do. Part of me wants to get up and shoo him out the door, to get a good night's sleep. The other part of me wants to find a broom closet. About to make my move, the door flew open and Ewan came in with Healer Orlaf hot on his tails.

"Sirius, Sirius wake up! I did it. I found the antidote," Ewan was proclaiming. Sirius roused from his slumber, and as soon as he realized that it was Ewan yelling, his face broke into a hopeful smile.

"It works? You're sure?" he asked, and the potions master was nodding wildly.

"Yes, we did two tests in the lab, and both times this serum not only stopped the progression of the poison, but reversed the effects. I don't know how many doses she will need, but I know that it works," he said, giving Sirius a surprising hug. "Healer Orlaf is going to reverse the spell he did, and then I am going to need your help giving this to her. I don't know how long it will take for her to begin to rouse after we give it to her, but the results in the lab were nearly instantaneous," he added. Sirius nodded at him.

Healer Orlaf took out his wand and said an incantation, and I could see my cousin's face relax. _He must feel Anwen again_. Ewan asked Sirius to prop Anwen up, and hold her chin down so that he could pour the potion into her mouth. When the phial was empty, Sirius laid her back down, and took the flannel from the bedside table and gently wiped off her face. He then sat back down, took her hand and watched her face.

Time seemed to have stopped, we were all sitting there, watching her, waiting for some sign of her awakening. The minutes felt like hours, but then, Anwen's breathing sped up and we could see her eyelids flutter open.

"Sirius..." she said weakly, her eyes just opening. Sirius stood up, his hands going to either side of her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I'm here love, I've been right here, open your eyes, please. Let me see them," he begged her, almost afraid that she would slip away again.

"I missed you," she mumbled as she fully lifted her eyelids. Sirius let a joyous laugh ripple from him.

"You have no idea how much I missed you too, oh love, I am so happy to hear your voice again," he said, the relief evident in his voice.

"Lilyan?" she asked him.

"She's doing so much better, she can be out of her special crib for longer periods, and they say her heart is beating much stronger now, she's going to be just fine love, you'll see when they bring her in for us to feed her," he told her, and I could see the faintest smile escape her lips.

"Mr. Black, can I check her magic and take some other vitals, and then I'll leave you and your friends alone with her for the night?" Healer Orlaf asked. Sirius nodded at him, and moved aside. The Healer waved his wand over her, and a great smile erupted from him.

"The antidote does seem to be working. Her magic level is slightly above where it was before we put her under. She is breathing easier and her heart is stronger as well. I will want to give her another dose in about 4 hours, and then we can see where we stand. I'll be in my office if you need me. Try and get some sleep. Good night all," he said and then he left the room.

"I am going to take my leave as well, I haven't slept since I got to England. There are 6 doses in the medi-witch station, and I'll brew more, tomorrow. I'll come see her in the morning. Anelle will hex me if I don't bring home some pictures of Lilyan as well. Sleep well," Ewan said, starting to leave.

"Ewan, stop. I can't thank you enough," Sirius said, coming over to him. "If I'd lost her....thank you, for everything," he added, extending his hand, which the Canadian Potions Master accepted happily.

"Sirius, she saved my life more times than I could count on our trip back from France. Just repaying the favor. See you in the morning," Ewan said before leaving. Sirius went back to Anwen's bed and took her face between his hands again.

"You look awful," she said, and we all started laughing.

"Moony did my hair for me," he teased her. "It's been a rough couple of days love," he added, smiling. His face got serious and he whispered to her, "I was so lost without you," leaning down so his face was next to hers, the tips of their noses almost touching. Her eyes were open, and he was just staring at her. The intensity that radiated off the two of them electrified the room, and even though they were simply staring at each other, it felt like we were intruding on something personal and private. Anwen moved herself, with great effort, over to the far side of the bed, and Sirius climbed in next to his wife, never breaking his gaze. She curled herself against him and she put her hand over his heart. Sirius leaned down to kiss her, and I looked at Remus, and we both realized that we didn't want to witness any more of their reunion. We slipped out the door without them noticing. We stood in the hall smiling at each other.

"Things somehow seem right with the world, huh?" he said and I nodded at him. "You know, I am sure that everyone is asleep at the Manor, and I would hate to wake them up. How about if I just sit here with you for a while longer?" I nodded again and we sat down. He put his arm on the back of my chair, and I leaned myself into him. _ I think that I could get used to this._

**Anwen POV:**

_She is simply the most beautiful little girl I have ever seen. I love my goddaughter, but my daughter...she amazes me_. Lilyan was resting in my arms. She would be a week old tomorrow. I had finally been able to feed her, and change her, and now I was just holding her. I wanted to unwrap her and marvel at her little body, and her little arms and hands and legs and feet, but she couldn't regulate her own body temperature yet. She needed to stay wrapped up for her health. So for right now, I was happy just to hold my little miracle and stare at her perfect face.

I was still on the Maternity Ward at St. Mungo's, to facilitate being close to Lilyan when she needed to be in the Nursery. We could be with her, and hold her little hand or stroke her head while they were giving her the special potions she was still taking to help build her strength up; and she still needed to sleep in the warming bed. For right now though, she was doing a fine job of keeping herself warm, snuggled up against me in my blankets, so I could keep her with me.

My room was packed full. Sirius was here, he hadn't really left since he came from the Quidditch match on Saturday. Remus or James were bringing him clean clothes so he could shower and change everyday. He left briefly earlier today, to have some lunch with Ethan, but then he came right back. I miss my little boy so much. Sitting next to Sirius was James; their heads were pushed together, reviewing the official file on my case, which King had brought with him. He was sitting next to Tonks, who really hadn't left either. Remus was sitting next to her, and I couldn't help but notice his arm casually draped over the back of her chair. We still had more people to come. Arthur and Molly were coming with Lily and all of the kids. I wasn't sure where everyone was going to fit, when the door opened and Ewan and Healer Orlaf came in. The older gentleman started talking;

"Okay, I think this will be the last dose. We've got your magic back up to about 25% of what they have as your baseline from your check up a few days before you were poisoned, and your last blood draw only showed a minuscule amount of the poison still in your system, and it didn't appear active. As long as it continues to go away, and your magic continues to increase, you won't have to take any more," he told me, and I smiled. _This is the worst tasting stuff. _

"Open up Anwen. I'll put the charm on your tongue so that you don't have to taste it," Ewan said, and I stuck my tongue out at him. He waved his wand over it, and then handed me the phial. I drank it down. Sirius had come over, and had a glass of water in his hands. I shifted Lilyan so that I could get my hand out to take it, and I drank the whole thing down.

"I will not miss taking that stuff. It feels like trying to swallow mud," I said, shuddering slightly.

"Tomorrow, if you're still feeling well, I will let you get up and walk around some, but no over–doing it. For today, the medi-witches will still Levitate you. Your magic is so low, your body is bound to still be weak. If you continue to get stronger, we will begin the magical transfusions. We will discuss all of it on Monday, for now, please continue to rest," Healer Orlaf told me and I smiled at him.

"I promise she will, if I have to tie her to the bed," Sirius said.

"Don't think that would qualify as relaxing," James said under his breath, and I felt my face getting red. I hope that no one else heard him. Everyone broke out laughing and I knew that they had all heard. Healer Orlaf bade us goodbye, and Ewan went to the hall to get another chair, and sat down to talk.

"Who ever designed that poison was quite knowledgeable, and must have known about your bound magic, because it was designed to flow through magic. If you hadn't been pregnant Anwen, and Lilyan hadn't forced your body to go into labor, it would have worked much slower, and by the time we figured out what was happening, Sirius could have been poisoned as well. Quite literally, your daughter saved your life and saved both of your magics," he said.

"You hear that Princess, you saved your Mummy's life," Sirius said, stroking the dark locks of our daughter's head. I shifted and he sat down on the bed with me, kicking off his shoes and wrapping his long arm around us both.

"She's our daughter, of course she's smart and quite cunning," I said to him, smiling. He leaned down to kiss me and I could feel his love for both of us. I leaned against him, resting my head on his chest.

"What do you know about this magical transfusion Ewan? Is it safe?" Remus asked. We had been talking about it, and while Sirius was more than willing to do anything, the rest of us were, reserved at best about the procedure.

"It's completely safe, and it will be painless," he said, but I could tell that there was more.

"There's a but..." I said.

"But," he said loudly, looking at me, "Sirius will be left partially depleted as well. Now, both of you are unusually strong in your magic, and I'll brew a special strengthening potion to help you recover quickly Sirius, but for the couple of days after the transfusions you will need to watch what kinds of spells you do," I didn't like what he was saying at all.

"And there is no way that my magic will come back on it's own?" I asked.

"It will, but it could take years to build back completely. It's only as high as it is now, because you're being pumped full of potions and not doing a thing. But Healer Orlaf is already talking about weaning you down, starting next week," Ewan said.

"But, if they're making her stronger, why not keep her on the higher dose?" Tonks asked.

"Because, they can cause hallucinations and nightmares if taken for more than 10 days," he replied and I groaned.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore. I can't imagine not doing any magic for 6 months," I snuggled Lilyan closer to me and sighed. Sirius kissed the top of my head.

"I know it will be hard, but we'll do this together, I promise. Anyway, the kids can just start doing magic for you," he teased and I groaned again. Great, my kids will be doing accidental magic and I won't be able to even stop it.

"Well, I was able to take some memories from the people working in the kitchen of the restaurant, and it was indeed Peter that poisoned you. He didn't even attempt to disguise himself," King said. I cocked my eyebrow at him,

"King, they were Muggles, what the hell..." I started to admonish him.

"Anwen, stop. You were poisoned, and it nearly killed you and your baby. I was within my rights to do what I had to get the information that we needed. I will not apologize to you, no matter how much you hate Memory Charms," he told me sternly. We had often argued about the use of obliteration on Muggles. I shook my head at him. "The lab is analyzing the potion to see if there is any way to trace the elements used." I nodded at him.

"Have you had any luck finding out where he is hiding?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"No, we've raided Malfoy Manor, but there was no trace of him. After what happened at Hogwarts last Saturday, we're not even sure where to look for him," King confided. What the heck happened last Saturday, other than my giving birth? He saw the puzzled look on my face, and looked up at Sirius. I lifted my head and saw that my husband was shaking his head at him.

"What didn't you tell me?"

"Anwen, you weren't in any condition to be worried about this, that's why we didn't tell you," Remus started. "Peter broke into Gryffindor Tower, and apparently tried to attack Ron with a knife. We don't really know why, maybe got confused as to which bed Harry was in, but we are sure that it was him. The portrait let him in," she looked at me puzzled, "long story. Albus has increased security at the school, and the doors are bewitched to recognize him in both forms. He won't get anywhere near Harry again." I nodded at him. I guess it made sense that they didn't tell me.

Lilyan started to stir again in my arms, and after a moment her eyelids fluttered open and her beautiful green eyes were staring back at me. "Hello precious," I said to her. Her mouth opened into that perfect little 'O' and she just stared back at me. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?" I muttered rhetorically.

"Just her Mummy," my husband said, his hand stroking along the back of my neck. His touch electrified me. We stared at her for a moment longer, and then the door opened, and we were both surprised to see Ethan come toddling in. His steps were deliberate and his little legs bowed out, but he was most definitely walking. Molly quickly followed behind him, half crouched over, her arms outstretched to catch him should he lose his balance.

"Mum, mum, mum, mum" he mumbled as he walked, getting so excited when he saw me that he lost his balance and nearly fell. Molly caught him and picked him up.

"What a big boy you are," she said, as she looked him in the face. "Would you like to see your Mummy?" Ethan laughed at her.

"Here, let me take Lilyan and change her nappie, and then I'll get her a bottle," Sirius said, taking our daughter from me. I let my fingers linger on her head as he took her away. Molly deposited Ethan in my lap. He promptly crawled up and hugged me.

"Oh my big boy, Mummy has missed you. Have you been a good boy for Aunt Lily and GrandMolly?" I stroked his head and he reached up and touched my face.

"He's a very good boy, eats all of his meals and goes right down for his nap," Molly said, smiling at me. "How are you and the baby feeling?"

"We're getting there. She's getting stronger, and she's gained almost a pound. She should, she's eating every 2-3 hours. I think I'm glad that I can't breast feed her now," I looked over and Remus and King had both turned red. _Men._

Sirius sat down in the rocking chair, and began feeding Lilyan her bottle. We talked for a while, but sleep was calling to me. Remus had taken Ethan off my bed, and was playing games with him. I closed my eyes and dozed off, hoping that people would understand my rudeness.

**Sirius POV:**

"Come on love, you're doing very well here. A few more steps and then we'll turn around and you can go back to your bed and lie down," I was trying to encourage her. Anwen was up and walking around. She glared at me.

"I don't like you much right now," she said, gingerly moving her feet forward. The doctor had first let her get up yesterday. It had been 8 days since she had given birth and the medi-witches had urged me to get her up again today.

"I know you don't, but the sooner you get up and get moving, the sooner they will let you come home. Come on now, two more steps," I told her. I was determined to get her to walk down two doors, and then back. She took the steps, and then stopped, grabbing onto the wall, and taking a deep breath.

"Hey, look who's up and walking around," I heard a familiar voice call, and saw James and Remus coming down the hall towards us, smiling at my wife.

"Yeah, it's been a good 5 minutes to get this far, and now I have to turn around and walk back," Anwen complained.

"Yup, love. Come on, let's get you back in bed and then you can have that delightful lime gelatin that they left for you," I teased her. The food here was getting to her. I knew I needed to get out and get her something she would rather eat.

"Yum, can't wait." she said dryly, starting to walk toward the room again.

"I have something you'd rather eat," Remus said, reaching into the canvas bag he had with him. He pulled out a pint of ice cream.

"Is that Chocolate Peanut Butter?" she said longingly.

"Of course. Shared a house for how many years? You should know that I knew you'd need this," he said smirking.

"Bless you. What else is in that bag?" she questioned as she continued to take labored steps.

"Let's see," he said, looking into the bag "Chocolate chip Oatmeal cookies from Molly, some cards and letters from the kids at Hogwarts, something wrapped up from Ginny, a bag of Chocolates from Albus, and your own nightgown and robe and a few other personal things from Lily," he told her, and she stopped and smiled at him. Then she took a deep breath and started walking again.

"Well, I have something to show you, and unlike most of what's in Anwen's bag, it doesn't involve chocolate," James said producing something from his pocket.

"It isn't," I said, gobsmacked.

"It is, and you won't believe who Moony took it off of," he said, grinning brightly.

"Who?"

"Harry!"

"What?" I said, stopping, which made Anwen stop. She turned to look at me with an icy glare. "Can we get back to my bed please," she said exasperated.

"Of course love, I'm quite sorry," I apologized and reached around her and helped her get moving again. By the time we reached her bed, she was breathing heavily and clearly tired. She sat on the bed and I helped her swing her legs up, and get settled.

"Give me that ice cream, now." she commanded, and Remus handed it to her, along with a spoon. She dug in. "Now what is it that has the three of you so excited?"

"This," James said, handing her the bit of parchment that made us giddy.

"It isn't, is it?" she said, recognizing the item. "How in the world did Harry get hold of it?" she asked, handing it back to me so that she could eat some more of the ice cream.

"He didn't say where he had gotten it from, but I would bet that the Weasley twins had something to do with it. They're the only ones who would have even dared to use it. Those two could put the four of us to shame. Anyway, he had it on him when Snape accused him of being in Hogsmeade," Remus started telling her. Anwen dropped her spoon.

"He wasn't?"

"He was. I've already given him a talking to, and believe me, he won't be trying that again," James said and Anwen nodded at him. She then picked up her spoon and started eating again.

"Anyway, Snape had opened the parchment, and made it reveal itself, and it started insulting him. Of course, he recognized our nicknames and our voices, but it was rather hilarious when I came upon him. I took it away from Harry, but I think I'll give it back at some point. He really should have it," Remus said and I nodded at him.

"I loved this thing," I told them. "Used to keep us out of so much trouble. Used it when I couldn't find you, although after a while I realized that there were only two places you ever were, the library or down at the lake. Didn't really need the map, did I?" I said, sweeping her hair back and kissing her temple. "Did you ever see how it worked?"

"Sirius, I studied in your room half the time, it wasn't like you kept it a secret from me. I tried using it once, but..." she trailed off, putting the spoon in her mouth.

"What, did it insult you? It was really only supposed to do that to Professors or Slytherins," James said.

"No, I just didn't like what I saw. Decided it was better to not to go looking, if I wasn't sure I wanted the answers," she said quietly.

"What did you see?" I asked her.

"You...in a broom closet...with Marianne Margofski," she whispered. "Anyway, it was the end of my third year, and it got taken early in your seventh, so it didn't really matter," she ended.

We reminisced about some of our adventures and the narrow escapes that the map had provided us. I then suggested that we take a look at where young Harry was right now.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. He deserves his privacy. It was bad enough that you had me checking up on him, watching his every move is a invasion of his privacy. Anyway, I'm sure he wouldn't want you all seeing him in the loo, or worse, in a broom closet," she said, and I knew she was right. I handed the map back to Moony and James told him to give it to Harry when he felt the time was right.

Anwen fell asleep for a while, and they brought me Lilyan to feed. She was getting so much stronger, now. The Healer had let us know that her lungs were nearly fully formed now, and her heart was well on it's way. Probably only another week, and then we would be able to take her home. _ I hope that Anwen is able to go home then as well. A lot will depend on how well she does with the first transfusion._

The guys left, and I was alone with my girls. I slid onto the bed, holding Lilyan, sitting next to my wife. Anwen stirred and smiled at us.

"You know, I think that you're more handsome now than the first time I saw you," she said. "The way you cradle her to you, it makes you so beautiful to me." I leaned down and kissed her deeply.

"Winnie, will you tell me something?" I asked her, and she nodded at me. "Why were you so upset when you saw me in the broom closet?"

"Sirius, it was a long time ago," she started, but I stopped her.

"I know it was, but something must still be bothering you, because you were upset when you mentioned it earlier. Please tell me," I said, resting my lips against her head.

"Sirius, it always bothered me. All the girls, all of the time. I hid it from you..." she whispered, and I could feel the stabbing pain that was inside of her.

"What aren't you telling me? Something is hurting you," I told her. She sighed and started talking quietly looking away from me.

"It just felt like, I don't know, I wasn't good enough. You'd meet a new one, and you'd get close, and I would be relegated to second place. Then you'd break up and I would have to clean up the mess and everything would be fine again," she paused and sighed, shifting herself against me.

"There's more, isn't there?" I could feel how conflicted she was. There was deep pain that I had no idea was there.

"When we got together, part of me kept waiting for you to realize that you didn't want me. WANT me, want me. And then when we finally made love, I was so scared that I had done it wrong or that it wasn't good enough," she said, choking back tears.

"Love, I told you that day how special it was. Why can't you believe me?"

"I do, now," she said quietly. "But, sometimes," she stopped and took a deep breath, "sometimes I wish there weren't so many girls out there who knew what it was like to be with my husband," she confided in me. _How did I not know this, after all of these years. _

"Oh love, I had no idea you felt like this. I'm sorry, I know it doesn't change anything, but I am so sorry that you're still hurting about this, all these years later." I laid Lilyan down between my legs and wrapped my arms around her.

"Sirius, it doesn't really matter now. We're bound and we have our beautiful children and a life together. It's just, there are others who know what you're like, what makes you moan or drives you crazy. I wish I was the only one who knew these things. I just wish I could Obliviate all those other girls memories sometimes, so I'm the only one who knows just how sexy you are," she told me, the pain buried in her again.

"I thought you didn't like memory charms? I teased her.

"Don't, but for you, I'd do one. Now, I think this little lady needs to get back to her warming bed," she told me, and I knew the conversation was done. I picked up Lilyan and her Mummy kissed her and I took her back to the Nursery. When I got back to Anwen, she had fallen asleep again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, just a quick note this chapter...not a whole lot to say. There are two songs for this chapter: "Happy Birthday" by the Beatles and "Lost!" by Coldplay. I really appreciate everyone's enthusiasm for the story. It makes me very happy. I don't own Harry Potter, if I did, I would be able to pay my amazing beta for correcting my rather abysmal punctuation and grammar. Peter, I owe you a million galleons! No copyright infringement is intended by this story. Mutt**

**Chapter 19:**

**Birthdays and Bars**

**Anwen POV:**

"Ma, I'm sure everything is just fine. It's not like Ethan is going to know what his first birthday cake looks like anyway. He's going to smash it between his fingers," I reminded her. I had been home from the hospital for nearly 6 weeks and she had been here the whole time. She was staying until the first week of May; when Eira would be done with school and be coming over to spend her summer with us. _I'm not sure that I am going to make it until then. Just keep reminding yourself, I love my Ma._

"But the rest of us will know," she said. _Of course we would. Sometimes Ma's enthusiasm was more than I could take. _ I was in the kitchen, watching her decorate his birthday cake. She had made him a lion, with a piped icing mane. Ethan was sitting in his high chair, finishing up his lunch and Lilyan was asleep in her little carrier. At almost two months old, Lilyan now weighed just 9 pounds, but her heart and lungs were strong. Really strong. Her cry echoed through the house if we didn't feed her when she wanted it.

I was healing well. I had undergone 3 magical transfusions, and while my magic level was indeed rebounding, it was going to be at least another 2 months before I was going to be allowed to even attempt any monitored spell work. It also meant that I remained on limited physical activities. Something that neither Sirius nor I enjoyed.

I didn't like the way that the transfusions affected Sirius. After he underwent them, he had a hard time even doing the simplest of spells. It was a temporary problem, only lasting a day or two; but it was unnerving for both of us. We had gotten used to the near constant presence in our home of one of our friends or family who could do magic, for security purposes.

"Rhosyn, Anwen is right," Andromeda said. "The cake is beautiful, and the food looks wonderful. You've really outdone yourself, and I'm impressed you did it without the benefit of magic," she said, dipping her finger into the bowl to taste some of the frosting that my Ma had made. My mother had insisted that she would do the cooking, and leave that 'nasty, grumpy old elf' to sleep for the day. She and Kreacher had not come to any understanding. They loathed each other. Sirius and I had finally stopped trying to get involved.

It was the day before Easter, and we would be having a little party for Ethan today. We had waited so that the kids at Hogwarts would be able to be here as well. Everyone should be arriving around three, and staying through dinner. "Ma, Andromeda, I think that I am going to go and lie down before the party, I'm still a little sleepy. Do you think that you can handle these two?" I asked them, and they both nodded at me.

"Of course, dear. I will make sure that their clothes are changed and that Lilyan's hair is brushed. Gives me new respect for your husband, dear, that he's able to keep that mane of his tamed," Ma said, looking over at our little girl and all of her dark locks. We had been having trouble keeping it from simply flying all over.

"Ma, you wouldn't believe what he does to it in the morning," I told her getting up and heading for the stairs. I started climbing, and realized how much I missed being able to apparate from floor to floor. As I reached the second floor, Sirius came out of his office and wrapped his arms around me.

"Where are you headed?" he asked , his hands running up and down my back.

"I was going to go lie down. I still get rather tired, and I want to be my best during the party today. I can't wait to tell everyone what we did as a thank you for all the help they've been," I smiled at him. We had a big surprise for them.

"Can I come and join you?" he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Sirius, we have months before we can even think about that. It apparently falls under the heading of 'physical exertion'," I told him, and he threw his head back.

"I'm gonna die here, Winnie," he complained. I had to agree with him, this was the longest that we had gone without, well, anything. The thought of another two months or more like this, we would both explode from the sexual tension.

"You're not going to die, nor will I explode. Just relax. Maybe later, we can do something to relieve your, um, tension," I told him, and he smiled at me. "For now, however, I really do need to rest." He leaned down to kiss me, and I felt lost in the bliss. _ I miss him, I hurt I miss this so much._ When we were done, he whispered in my ear, "I look forward to later, I love you,".

"I love you too, with all of my heart," told him back. "Please come and wake me before 2:30," I asked and he nodded at me. I went and laid down in our room and closed my eyes. _Am I ever going to feel normal again?_

We were in the ballroom, at the far end, near the small dais for the Orchestra, several tables had been set up to accommodate everyone for dinner. Across the room, Sirius had magically transported the furniture from the sitting room, as well as chairs from everywhere else in the house. Andromeda was in the rocking chair, holding Lilyan. Ethan was finishing up opening his presents. He was far more interested in the paper and ribbons than the actual gifts. Sirius was down on the floor helping him. He had a package from Harry. I looked at Lily and James , who were on the love seat from the sitting room. They had no idea what it was. Sirius opened the package, and took out the tiniest Gryffindor jersey I had ever seen. It had Harry's name and number on the back.

"It's one from my first year. I transfigured it smaller so that Ethan could wear it when he comes to the Slytherin match in a few weeks. I did the same thing for Evan," he said proudly. It was adorable.

"I'll make sure that he wears it, and the hat that Molly made him," I smiled at the boy. Molly had made him a red and gold hat with a little lion on a broom stitched onto the front. _If he doesn't get sorted into Gryffindor when he goes to Hogwarts, there will be an uproar. _ James stood up, and brought over a long rectangular box, about three feet long. I didn't think I needed to guess what's in here.

Sirius got the most wicked grin on his face as he helped his son rip off the paper. Together, they opened the box, and in it was a small training broom. I shook my head. The rest of the room erupted into laughter

"Anwen, before you go getting all wonky about it, he'll only fly about a foot and half off the ground, and it has a Sticking Charm on it, so he won't fall off," James started explaining.

"She'll be fine with it there James, she already knows that we take him flying," Sirius piped up. I nodded.

"Great, lets take him out now, we can go into the yard, it's not too cold today," Harry said, jumping up. Ginny followed suit.

"No Harry, not right now, but I promise you can take him while you're home this week. Now, we have something of a gift for all of you," I said, and I looked at Sirius. He stood up and took over talking to the crowd. The Weasleys – all of them in Britain, The Potters, Remus, The Tonks, Hermione and my Ma.

"As you are all well aware, the Quidditch World Cup will be here this summer. We are pleased to tell you that we have secured a private box for all of us, tickets for several early matches as well as the semi-finals and the finals. There will be a tent for you young ladies, as well as Anwen's sister, Eira. A larger tent for you gents," he said, nodding at the young Weasley's and Harry, "and a much larger tent with a kitchen for the the four of us," he said, indicating the Potters and us, "and all the little kids. Moony, we think it's finally time for you to have some privacy, so you've got your own tent," he said wagging his eyebrows at his old friend, "The Tonks family will have a separate tent near ours, as will Molly and Arthur. Since Molly and Andromeda aren't really Quidditch fans, they have volunteered to watch the children while we are at the matches. We have a full week there and we are taking care of everything, the food, our portkey there, even spending money for the kids. Kreacher will be doing the cooking, so no one else is responsible," he said, looking right at Molly. Vacation may not be a word in Molly's vocabulary. "Arthur, please extend the invitation to Bill and Charlie as well. We won't hear any arguments about this, it's something that we want to do. We want to thank all of your help, " he said, then sitting down.

A cacophony of thank you, excuses about the cost and other things immediately began to be said, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I know that we have a great deal to figure out, and we have time to do it. Please don't protest about the cost or it being too much. We wanted to do this for all of you. You've taken care of us while I am recuperating, and we wanted to let you know that we are deeply grateful. The rest will work itself out," I told them, and then the noise started right back up. The kids were chattering away, quickly and very excitedly. I looked over at Remus, who had a rather pained look on his face, even though Tonks was sitting next to him, holding his hand.

I got up and walked over to him. "Remus, can you help me with something down in the kitchen?" He nodded and got up and walked out of the room with me. We took the stairs slowly, but when we reached the first floor, we stopped and I took his hand. "You were trying to do the calculations about when the full moon would be?" He got the gentle smile on his face and shook his head at me.

"How did you know?"

"You were concentrating too hard, and you didn't notice when Tonks took your hand," I told him. "Don't worry, you'll have to leave, but Sirius said he'd go with you out to the farm for the change. The full moon is on the twenty-first," I let him know. I had already checked it out. He smiled down at me.

"You think of everything don't you?"

"Remus, we lived together for years, it's force of habit to check those kinds of things before I make plans. Old habits die hard. So, you going to tell me how things are with Tonks, or do I have to ask her?"

"They're good. She knows everything, and she still wants to be with me. I have a lot of questions still. I don't know where this can go or what kind of future we would have, and I have deep concerns for her safety, but for right now, I can tell you that I'm happy," he said, and his face broke into a wide smile. I could feel my eyes getting moist.

"You know, that's all I ever wanted for you. We can find you those answers. Can't do a whole lot of magic, but I am really good at research. But for right now, just take it one day and one experience at a time, " I told him. I was trying to not think about the fact that I couldn't do any magic right now. The doctor had obliged my magic, since I kept doing it accidentally, to keep from being drained any more than I was already.

"I will, I promise," he told me. "Now, what was it that you needed in the kitchen?"

"Nothing, it was just a way to get you alone to talk with you. Come on, let's get back upstairs," I told him, and he laughed.

"You know Anwen, you're as sneaky as you were in school. I think I'm lucky I never got on your bad side," he said.

"I was sorry that Minerva and Albus couldn't come today, but they came over on his birthday for the noon meal. Albus is so taken with him. He gave him his childhood copy of _The Toadstool Tales,_ and then sat and read him half of the book, having enough sense to do the anti-vomiting charm first, " I told him, and then stopped to take another deep breath.

"You alright?"

"Just tired. I still get worn out so quickly," I said as we got back upstairs and joined the rest of our family.

**Sirius POV:**

"That boy is a flying genius! Did you see how he caught that Snitch? Amazing," James said proudly of his oldest son. We were walking down the High Street, headed to the Three Broomsticks for some lunch after the Quidditch final. Harry had performed a rather remarkable stunt to get the snitch before Draco Malfoy.

"James, darling, we were all there, and we were able to celebrate with him. It is wonderful that Harry was able to help his team win the Quidditch Cup. Minerva seemed thrilled that it would be back in her office," Lily said, gently patting her husband on the shoulder. I could hear my wife giggling next to me. James was carrying Emma in her carrier and Lily was holding Evan's hand.

"What are you laughing at?" I leaned down to whisper in her ear. We were walking hand in hand, I was carrying Lilyan in her carrier.

"Lily has him so whipped," she whispered back to me. "You two okay with Ethan over there?" she said loudly at Tonks and Moony, who had our toddler walking between them. Every few steps, they would lift him up and he would swing between them, laughing loudly.

"Not a problem, not sure how I feel being surrounded by all of this red and gold though," Tonks yelled back at her. All of us were dressed in our Gryffindor finest. Anwen and Lily were wearing new "Potter" Jerseys that they had picked up at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry was rather embarrassed that his Mother and Aunt were wearing replicas of his jersey, but they didn't seem to care. James, Remus and I had on Lion jumpers that Molly Weasley had made us for Christmas last year. Ethan and Evan were wearing the little jerseys that Harry had shrunk for them, and the girls were wearing matching red and gold rompers that Lily had made. Dressed alike, the girls looked like identical twins; the only differences were that Emma was larger and Lilyan a mass of much wavier hair.

"Hey, we can't help it that you didn't make it into the best house at the school. 'Puffs are fine, but Gryffindor is where it's at." I yelled back at my cousin. We made it up to the Broomsticks and Rosie waved us back to the large table in the rear of the room. I wasn't sure how James did it, but we always had a table here when we needed it. I pulled Ethan's high chair out of the diaper bag that Winnie was carrying and restored it to its regular size. We put the girls carriers on chairs and Winnie started unbundling our little girl. Even though it was a warm day, due to Lilyan's size she still need to be bundled.

"Winnie, you ready to come back to work tomorrow?" Tonks asked her as we were waiting to order.

"I am. I'm going to miss the kids though. I've liked being home for the last few weeks. Should be interesting what I end up doing, since I still can't do any magic," she said, sounding concerned.

"Well, we've all missed you. King is going crazy without you there, because no one can figure out which way is up in the whole damned department. Should just make you Head Auror, if you ask me," Tonks told her, and Anwen blushed.

"You had another transfusion on what, Thursday? How are you doing?" Remus asked her, obviously concerned, but also trying to change the subject.

"Better, I'm up to about 60% now. After the next transfusion, they're going to let me try some spell work," she said. Her frustration at the amount of time this was taking was palpable.

Rosie came over and took our orders, and promised that she would bring our food out herself. I was still planning on checking it. Conversation continued about the flying, how the girls were growing, and what was going on at school. Remus and Anwen had their heads together, over Lilyan's carrier. Anwen was smiling more than I had seen in quite a while. I wanted to know what was making her so happy.

"That's a great idea. That's the best way to test what they know, to put them in real situations. You're a brilliant teacher," she beamed at him, and I swear that Moony blushed.

"Would you be willing to help me set things up? I have a list of the creatures that we've studied, as well as the spells that have been taught," he asked her.

"Of course I would. This will be neat. I've often said that the kids needed more real life experience, not just text book learning. As we're all aware here, life is rarely like a textbook," she said. They started talking about how to tailor the exams for each year. I was happy to see Anwen excited about something. She'd been a little off since her poisoning, sad and frustrated were the best words I could come up for the mood that was always present, even at low levels.

Our food came, and James cast a spell over all of it, to make sure that none of it had been tampered with. Nothing appeared, and we apologized to the proprietress for doubting her, but she understood that we couldn't afford to take any more chances.

When lunch was over, we decided to stroll along the streets, doing some window shopping. Anwen's birthday was coming up, and I still didn't have any good ideas for her. I knew that her Ma was out shopping in London today with Andromeda, but I wanted something special for her from the kids and me. We went to purchased some candy, and I realized that Ethan had developed quite a sweet tooth. He was interested in nearly everything in the store. Before he could do too much damage, I decided to take him out. James grabbed Ethan and Remus took Lilyan from me so that I could wrangle my one year old.

"Guys, would you mind coming with me to that little second hand store around the corner? I need something special for Anwen for her birthday, and I think that they might have the thing." They agreed and James put his head in to tell them where we were going. They told him that they wanted to do some clothes shopping, and we were all glad that we didn't have to go with them on that trip. We walked over to the store, and went in. The same older woman who sold us the engagement ring was still working there. Remus and James held onto the boys, and I took the carrier. Lilyan wasn't likely to try and grab anything, couldn't say the same for the boys. There were a lot of things, but none of them really seemed right, until I saw a beautiful locket hanging in the back of one of the cases. I asked to see it.

"Its a looking locket. They were all the vogue last century; but they've fallen out of fashion in recent years. You tell the locket who you'd like to see, and it shows their image to the wearer," she told me. It was perfect, she could carry our little ones with her. I paid for the item and she wrapped it up.

We found the girls, who had indeed done a fair amount of shopping. It was nearing mid afternoon, and we needed to get the kids home for their naps. We all bade goodbye to each other. The other couples apparated away, but with Winnie not being able to do any magic, we went back to the Broomsticks, and flooed home from there.

_What the hell had happened now?_ King had just fire called and told me that I needed to get to Amelia's office as soon as possible. I was up in the room we called "The Purple Room," cleaning out the closet. This would be Eira's room this summer, so that we could convert the guest room on the fourth floor to Lilyan's room. When Kreacher came up and told me the message, I tore down the stairs. Ma was in the Sitting room with the kids, I told her that I was leaving and I would be back as soon as I could. I didn't tell her that I needed to go to the Ministry, and that there was a problem with Anwen – she didn't need to be upset while she was sitting with the children.

The entire process of checking in at the Ministry was tedious, and while I tried not to be rude, it was irritating to have to stand in lines when my wife needed me. I finally was on the lift and headed to the second floor and quickly moved through the doors to the executive offices of the Magical Law Enforcement Department. Since Amelia had been made the head of the department, I had been here several times. Her secretary waved me in, and I saw King, Amelia and Anwen all sitting there. When she saw me she threw herself into my arms, crying.

"Love, what happened?" I said, holding her head to my chest.

"They fired me. Since I can't... do any magic... and my classes have been covered...nothing for me to do...without magic," she sobbed. " Scrimgeour and Fudge fired me... from the Auror department," she got out between sobs. I looked up at King who was fuming. _They fired her, they just up and let her go? How could they? I am going to beat the crap out of the two of them._

"They did. I was in the meeting. Apparently, the fact that she has the brightest mind in the department, or knows more about investigation than anyone doesn't matter," he was pacing the room. "Years of service don't count, and let's not even get into the fact that over half the Death Eaters that were caught after the last war, are in Azkaban because of her. Unbelievable," he muttered, hitting the wall, leaving a hole in it that Amelia proceeded to repair.

"King, I'm going to ask you to leave my office if you keep breaking things," she said, stroking his hand. He nodded at her. I wanted to hit something too, but it wasn't the wall.

"I'll be back in a minute," I told her, heading for the door. King stopped me.

"Sirius, don't. They'll put you into Ministry lock up for hitting them, or worse, into Azkaban for assaulting the minister," he said, holding onto my arm.

"I don't care!" I roared at him. "Look what they did to her. All those years, all of that work, and then she's just let go?"

"I'm just as mad about it as you are, but you can't go and beat them up over it," King was trying to explain to me.

"Stop!" Anwen yelled, her face was streaked with tears and her shoulders were shaking. "Just stop it. I don't want you to beat anyone up," she said before she started crying harder. I gently took her in my arms again.

"Oh, my love, I am so sorry," I whispered in her hair. "I didn't mean to upset you more".

"Sirius, what would I do if something happened to you?" she choked out, still shaking in my arms. "You can't go to prison, I'd be alone," I stood there holding her, until her tears began to subside.

"Come on, do we need to get your things from your office? Let me take you home," I said, stroking her head. She shook it against me.

"Actually, once she calms down, I was hoping to take all of you out to celebrate," Amelia said. I looked at her confused. "While what happened this morning is very unfortunate and wrong on so many levels; something good came of it. I hired Anwen. She is going to be the Senior Counsel to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Essentially, Anwen will be my personal solicitor on matters of Wizarding Law. She will also advise the Chief of the Wizengamot, though I doubt that Albus needs much advising as a general rule," Amelia said proudly. "She doesn't need to use magic to do legal review, and I need someone that I can trust advising me right now." Anwen looked over and smiled at her. "She has the best mind of anyone I could have hired for this position, and it is my sole discretion who gets hired," she said.

"Winnie, honey, this is amazing. I'm so proud of you," I told her, taking her face in my hands and kissing her.

"Thank you, I am honored that you would want me, especially since I don't have a law degree. But I'm still upset about not being an Auror anymore. I love what I do...did," she said. "It's just a lot to get used to, but I'm thankful to Amelia for the opportunity, or do I need to start calling you Madame Bones?" she asked her.

"Please don't. You may not have the formal training, but you've been teaching Wizarding Law for the last three years, and you interpret the laws almost as well as Albus," she said, a gentle smile cutting across her lips. "Come on, let's go and show your husband your office, and I still need you to sign your new contract, then we're going to go out for lunch. You can start work tomorrow, there are some things that I need you to look into for me," she said getting up. I released one arm from around Anwen, but I kept the other over her shoulders. Anwen seemed to be calming down, but I knew that I would be having a conversation with King about what had happened in this meeting. _ I wonder how Tonks was taking this? Where is she?_

We walked to the office next door, it was huge. "I'm going to have a door installed between these offices, and that door over there," Amelia said, pointing to the door across the room, "leads to the law library. You already know how that room works," she said and Anwen nodded. There were two boxes on the desk, and I recognized Anwen's pictures of our children as well as her ever–blooming daffodil. "Here is the contract, which I need you to sign. You will notice three important things, first your salary." Anwen looked at it and her eyes went wide. "Don't complain, you'll earn every cent of it, and you're worth it," she continued. I looked over Anwen's shoulder at the parchment and I was surprised as well. "Second, you'll be getting your own assistant. If I can lure her away, would you like to have Edie back?" Anwen looked up again and nodded. "Good, because I know that we can trust her. Some of what we're looking into will need to be handled with the utmost in discretion."

"What are you talking about?" Anwen asked. Amelia shook her head.

"I don't want to get into it here, we'll talk over lunch."

"Finally, the position usually comes with a seat on the Wizengamot. However, since Sirius is already on the Wizengamot, as the family representative for the Blacks, there may be some problems. There are laws that determine the composition of the body, and one of them states that you cannot have two members of an immediate family sitting on the high court at the same time. However, the law has been waived in the past, in cases where the Wizengamot would benefit from each of their specific knowledge and experience, " she explained. "I believe that in your case, this would apply. Albus has agreed to convene a special session to discuss your status. The worst thing that would happen is that they revoke the voting status of the seat. You'd still have voice to ask questions and raise concerns, you just wouldn't be able to vote. I hope that isn't what happens, but we will have to see. Obviously, on cases where you will be presenting information to the full council, you would be required to abstain from voting anyhow," she continued, and Anwen was simply nodding her head. She picked up quill and signed the contract. "Now that the paperwork is taken care of, I want you to understand something. I was planning on offering you this job even before everything happened this morning. They have no idea what they've lost, but it is most definitely my gain," Amelia told her. "You have the best mind for this and I have complete faith in you. Now, let's be off and I can discuss why I need you here. King, Sirius, are you coming with us?"

"If it's all right?" I told her, I wasn't sure that I wanted to let Anwen out of my arms just yet, she was still shaking. King nodded at her.

"It is. Come on, let's get going. I want to get away from London before we talk," she said sticking her head out of the office to tell her assistant that she was leaving and could not be reached for several hours. She came back to us. "Grab onto this," she said, taking a small broken comb out of the pockets of her robes. "We're headed to Ireland for lunch," she said and we all touched the Portkey as she activated it.

We landed outside of 'The Silver Shamrock' and Amelia led us in. She nodded to the man behind the bar and he pointed up the stairs. The bar had a well–weathered floor and a huge stone hearth. There were tables scattered around the room, and a fair crowd had gathered for lunch. We followed Amelia up the stairs and into a small private room with another impressive fireplace. There was as a lone table set in the middle of the room for four, and we all took our places. As soon as we were seated, a red–headed woman came in and Amelia got up and hugged her.

"Shannon, good to see you," Amelia said when she broke the embrace.

"Good to see ya too," she said to Amelia. Then she turned to face the Auror in our group. "King, you ever gonna marry this cousin of mine, and make her an honest woman?" she said and King just grinned at her.

"I'd marry her right now, but she wants no part of it. Good to see you and Brendan again too. What's on the menu?" he asked and the woman went on to explain the dishes available for the day. We ordered, and I was surprised when she brought in pints of dark beer for everyone. When she left, Amelia cast several charms over the door, ensuring our privacy.

"Don't worry about it," Amelia said, pointing at the beer. "None of us are going back to the office today anyway. As you might have figured out, the woman is my cousin, 3rd I think, once removed. Her husband was the man behind the bar, he's a Muggle but very understanding of our world. Their son, Seamus is in school with Harry. Share a dorm together. When I need somewhere private to meet, they let me use this room. Now, let me get down to business," she said, then took a deep breath. "I have concerns about the legality of what our Minister of Magic is doing right now. He's bending laws, and changing other ones. It's making me very uncomfortable," she said. Anwen was nodding.

"Can you give me an example?" my wife asked.

"Sure," Amelia started. "There is this thing with Hagrid's hippogriff. First, the whole trial was ridiculous. I read the file and the darn thing attacked because the Malfoy boy was being an idiot and not listening to instructions. He wasn't even badly hurt, and yet, there was a sham of a trial. An appeal has been set, but I found out yesterday that they have already contracted an executioner. They're supposed to go down with Fudge the day of the 'appeal'," she said, making quotations in the air. "It's not right. And then, well, there's another problem..." she started, but she saw her cousin, through the small window, at the door with the food. Amelia unlocked it, and after the food was served, as the barkeep's wife was on her way out, I cast the charm to check for tampering. Amelia secured the room once again.

"I hope you don't think that we don't trust your family," I said, apologetically, "but with what happened, I have to be cautious. I feel a little like Mad–Eye and his calls for constant vigilance," I told her. There wasn't any tampering evident, so I urged my wife to eat. She nodded at me, but I could tell that the safeguards were making her upset. I reached over and gently ran my hand over her back, and she nodded, nearly imperceptibly, at me.

"I understand. If I'd been poisoned and had my life as well as my child's in danger, I would be deliberate as well," Amelia said. Anwen dropped her spoon, making a rather loud clanging noise.

"Sirius, what about the children?" she asked me, just now apparently remembering that we have kids.

"Your Ma is with them, and I told Kreacher to feed them lunch. Everything is fine. I didn't tell her where I was going, just that I needed to take care of some business. All is fine," I told her, trying to hide the chuckle that was threatening to escape me.

"Oh, okay. So Amelia, what else is bothering you? You started telling us about something else," Anwen asked her new boss.

"It's who Fudge is putting around him. He's promoted several people to positions of power in his office that have no business being in them. The most obvious is Dolores Umbridge. She's his special Senior Undersecretary, always with him and telling him what he wants to hear. And now, she's trying to strengthen the Anti-Werewolf Legislation again," she said, clearly getting upset. This time, King dropped his knife. My fingers tightened around mine, and I could instinctively feel Anwen reach over and grab my arm. _This is one of those topics that cuts far too close to home. We both knew how hard it had been on Moony, in fact, he wouldn't even be able to do the work that he is, right now, if it wasn't that Dumbledore was behind him 100%._

"Not that damned piece of rubbish again. It was bad enough when she pushed it through in the early eighties, during the first war, why the hell do we need it again?" King spouted, and I noticed that Amelia had grabbed his arm much like Anwen had mine. _That Umbridge woman made her 'name' by creating a registry for werewolves, on the supposition that we could track who had infected whom this way. Dumbest thing, and the only reason that Moony was left to himself as much as he was, was because Dumbledore personally vouched for him. He couldn't have gotten normal work, which is why he's always lived with either James or me. It's going to be so hard on him if this trash gets strengthened. She makes me so angry._

"Us getting upset about this isn't going to do any good. What we need to do is come up with some sort of legal way to stop her. Do you understand now why I need your mind, Anwen? If he gets away with these things, I am sure that Fudge is going to try and consolidate more and more power in the Minister's office. I can't allow that to happen. I'm afraid that he'll strip power from the Wizengamot, and then the Justice system will be completely corrupt," she said. I looked at my wife.

"I understand your concerns. I'll look into the whole hippogriff thing, and then we'll deal with the werewolf issue. If she pushes too far, we can always urge the Chief Warlock to call a meeting of the Council of 13, and if nothing else, put a moratorium on legislation concerning further mixed-species registration. That should hold her at bay for a while. Are there any other problems that you need me to look into?" she asked, and Amelia smiled at her.

"This is why I wanted you. I know that you loved being an Auror, and you were damned fine at it, but your ability to problem–solve will be an asset to us all," she said, taking my wife's hand. The women smiled at each other. "No, we take care of these issues, and I will sleep better at night. Now, how is everyone's lunch?" she asked, and we turned to pleasant conversation. Anwen spoke about the kids and invited the couple over for dinner the following week. We talked about Eira's arrival the first week of May and some of the differences in the schooling systems in Canada and England.

"She actually started her magical education when she was only 6. From 6 to 11 they go to a day school, there are several of them in each province, and then they go to the boarding school once they are 11. They also sit for their tests in different years, their equivalent of the OWL is sat for at the end of the fourth year, and then they begin a more specialized study. She's quite good at Potions, and is looking forward to working with Lily and Remus this summer," Anwen explained. "She will also spend her fall term traveling to study magic in several different countries, including Greece and Egypt, it's quite an ingenious way to teach both history and different styles of magic," she concluded. Amelia hoped that she would be able to meet with Eira while she was here, to discuss the differences in more depth.

When lunch was over, Amelia released the wards on the room, and we rose to leave. We thanked the owner and his wife, and I made a mental note to come back again sometime with Anwen. The food was wonderful, and it was comfortable here.

King took off to go and talk with some contacts that he had, about the possible whereabouts of Peter. Amelia suggested that she take Anwen to Diagon Alley, so that she could be fitted for her formal solicitors robes, as well as the plum Wizengamot robes. Anwen agreed, and I grabbed my money bag from my pocket and gave it to her, telling her to spend whatever she wanted, and if she needed more to go to the bank and get it out. She smiled at me, and I gently kissed her, holding her close to me.

"I am so proud of you. Have I told you how much I love you today?" I asked her, and she cocked her lip up.

"You have, but I never get tired of hearing it," she whispered to me. I watched as Amelia put an arm around Anwen and side-along apparated her to the shopping area. I had an idea, but I needed some help. I pulled my mirror out of my pocket and touched it and asked for James and Remus to answer. Remus answered first.

"Sirius, is Anwen alright? Tonks is here and she told me what happened this morning, in between her throwing things around my office. I left her to go and teach a class, and when I came back for lunch, she seems to have calmed down some," he rambled.

"She's fine, actually she's really good. Something happened after Tonks left that's quite amazing..." I started to tell him, and then James got on.

"Hey, what's up?" he said.

"Look, long story short, I need your help with a surprise. Anwen was fired as an Auror this morning..." I started and James gasped and started talking. "...wait, let me finish. Then Amelia hired her as the senior counsel or something like that to her and the Chief Warlock. It's a huge promotion for her, and comes with some nice perks. The fact that my wife won't be in the line of fire anymore has me pretty thrilled. I know that we were going to meet for Winnie's birthday in two days, just a small dinner, but I think we should do something tonight. Can you guys and your ladies help?" I asked, and noticed that Remus blushed at me.

"Of course, let me talk with Lily, but I'm sure that we can have something here. I'll get in touch with Molly and you know she'll cook up a storm," James said. "I'll be right back," and then he was gone.

"I'll have Tonks call her Mum, but we won't ask her to cook anything.," Moony said, making a face. I didn't know my cousin's cooking was that bad. "Maybe she can get some balloons and flowers though. I'll also talk with Albus about he and Minerva bringing the kids over for cake and ice cream," he added.

"Great, I'll get in touch with King and Amelia. Anyone else?" I asked.

"I think that's everyone." he said, and James re-appeared. "Lily said that you're always welcome to use our house. We'll see you around 7. Call if you have any problems, she's going to go and see Molly and then to the market now, bye," and then he was gone.

"I'll see you tonight as well. If there is a problem with bringing the kids over, I'll let you know," and then the mirror went dark. I apparated home, and made the fire calls that I needed to, and then explained to Ma everything that had happened. She was excited, and thought that it would be a wonderful thing to do.

I had birthday gifts for Winnie from the kids and me, but I needed something to give her for her new job as well. I sat down in my office and tried to come up with a good idea. I then remembered something that was in the family bank vault.

"Ma," I yelled into the house and she came out of the guest room on the fourth floor, and slowly walked down the stairs.

"I believe that there is a reason that you aren't supposed to yell in the house, and it would be your sleeping children," she said calmly. Now I know where my wife gets it from.

"I have to go down to the family vault. My great uncle was a solicitor, and his brief case is there. I think that Anwen would appreciate it, and it's very helpful for carrying heavy law books around in. I'm going to go and get it, and bring it here so that I can wrap it for her," I told her, as she was nodding.

"I'm sure that she would appreciate that. I bet it's one of those funny charmed things that you wizards have, so nothing is too heavy?" she asked, and I nodded at her. "Sounds perfect. I'll take care of the kids. I am going to miss them when I leave in a few weeks, Grandma's gotta get in her fix while she's here," she said and I hugged my mother-in-law. She was a good woman and a huge source of comfort to us all.

As I bounded down the steps to the floo fireplace, one thing kept going through my mind, over and over; Now if we could just get Peter back into prison, everything would be perfect.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, here's the next chapter, and things really come to a head. James and Sirius finally catch up with Peter...and Anwen and Sirius are allowed to...again. Only one song for this chapter: "Get the Balance Right" by Depeche Mode. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and to those who are leaving reviews, they really do make my day. I don't own the HP world, but I do so much like to play in it. Mutt  
**

**Chapter 20:**

**Things that go bump in the Night**

**Anwen POV:**

"That was brilliant. All of the exams, you did such a good job with them, Remus. You should be very proud of the skill with which you taught your students," I told him and he smiled at me. The five of us were sitting in his rooms, going over the last of his finals, the third year one, which had been this morning. Sirius was sitting on the arm of the couch, next to me, James and Lily farther down and Remus in the easy chair by the fireplace. James, Sirius and Lily had been watching via a rather complicated spell that they had cast,so they could remain out of sight. I was down on the field helping Remus.

"It was rather funny though, when Hermione couldn't get away from the boggart," Sirius said. I swapped him in the shoulder. "Hey what was that for?" he asked me.

"For being rude, love. She was terrified, Sirius, and then she was devastated, convinced that she would fail the final. Now, what the boggart became, that was funny," I told him.

"Really, that might have been one of the best boggarts of the year, second only to Neville's at the beginning of the year. Honestly, Snape and Minerva as your boggarts – how hard have they been on these kids?" Remus said, and we were all laughing.

"Do you think that you'll come back next year?" Lily asked him.

"I think I might. Albus and I have talked about it, and with everything that will be happening here, it would be a great time to be teaching. I enjoy it as well," he told us and I smiled at him. _Of course, if that stupid law even makes it to the floor of the Wizengamot, things could change for our friend._ "I will still need your help Anwen, you are a natural teacher," he told me and I smiled at him.

"Thank you, and I will be more than happy to help. My new boss is pretty flexible about when I'm in the office, hence why I was able to be here all week. I do have to speak at the Wizengamot next week, but I'm prepared for it," I told them. I had been able to retain my seat in the court, but in sessions when I needed to present testimony, I was required to abstain from voting. _ I had become a full member of the Wizengamot. Me, Muggle born Anwen Hodgson, was a member of the highest Wizarding court in Brittan. _Sometimes, I still needed to pinch myself.

"I think I'll have to make eyes at you while you're presenting your case," my husband suggested. I just rolled my eyes at him.

"I'll just ignore you," I told my husband.

"You had another transfusion yesterday, right?" Lily asked me, giving me her look of understanding and then politely changing the subject.

"Yes, and it may be the last. I'm at about 80% of what I was four months ago, before I gave birth. My magic is still obliged, and I find it frustrating that I can't see spells and auras because of it. I feel sort of blind without it. I hope it is the last transfusion, I don't like what it does to Sirius," I told them, reaching over to stroke his face. He was significantly depleted, and couldn't do much spell casting when he was recovering. I didn't like that the most recent transfusion coincided with the full moon tonight.

"I'm just glad that you're getting stronger." he told me, kissing my hand. The way he looked at me was making my insides melt. "Next month, if all goes well, she will get a clean bill of health," he leaned down and kissed my head.

"Still curtailed on physical activity, huh Padfoot? How are you handling that? You know, I think that we could find some of those old magazines of yours," Prongs teased him, and I buried my head in Sirius's chest.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, thanks," he said, I picked my head up and looked at Lily, she smiled and mouthed, 'boys' at me. I nodded.

"Speaking of physical activity, have you had the 'little wizard' talk with Harry yet?" Remus asked, and Lily and I both turned to look at him. _That's one of those dumb euphemisms the boys used in school to talk about their favorite part of their anatomy. I had hoped we'd never hear it again._

"Not yet, he's only 13," Lily said indignantly.

"He's almost 14 and I figured that we'd have it this summer. Why?" James corrected her.

"A girl in one of the 4th year classes was saying how cute she thought he is and how perfect she thinks his bum is," Remus said and we all started laughing.

"Oh my little boy is growing up," Lily bemoaned, and I put an arm around her.

"Hey, I'm willing to help you with the talk," Sirius volunteered, and we all said "NO," in unison.

"Why not?" he asked, honestly thinking that it would be a good idea.

"Um, let's see. The broom closets, the owlrey," I said.

"The Quidditch pitch, the area behind the field," James added.

"The path on the way to the lake, empty classrooms, the Astronomy tower," Remus continued.

"And, don't forget the Potions lab," Lily added. We were laughing rather greatly.

"Did I forget anywhere, 'shag king'?" James asked him, and my husband looked at his friends and then at me shocked. I just nodded at him.

"You knew about all of those places?" We all nodded at him. Then he looked down at me. " I thought I hid it from you better than that. You were awfully young," he said. I just shook my head at him, and sighed.

"Sirius, it was a long time ago. Don't worry about it," I told him, leaning up to kiss him. I could tell that it upset him that I knew all of this.

"But, sweetheart...I'm sorry." I nodded at him. I could feel deeply this knowledge was affecting him. Our talk in the hospital room must have disconcerted him more than I thought. I could feel how deeply sorrowful he was right now.

"I know," I tried to comfort him. "You're still not talking to Harry. You're liable to give him pointers, and I don't think any of us are ready for that. You're not even going to give the 'little wizard' talk to Ethan, either. I've already talked with James about doing it," I told him. He looked at me, hurt. "Sirius, they don't want you corrupting Harry, and I don't want you corrupting our son. You have a history of corrupting younger students," I told him with a wink in my eye.

"Corrupted you, corrupted you huh," he said, standing up and picking me up off the couch. "Maybe we should go and find a broom closet right now and I can show you how I'd like to corrupt you," he said, his face close to mine, with that crooked smile that I love.

"Get a room," James yelled at us in a teasing way.

"We would if we could," I groaned back, and Sirius put me down. "Come on Lily, I bet our children have driven Molly and Arthur crazy," and she nodded at me standing up.

"We'll see you both in the morning, I'll floo over so that I can help heal you," she said to Remus. James stood and took her in his arms and Sirius pulled me aside.

"I'll miss you," he said, gently caressing my face.

"I'll miss you too. He needs you though, so it makes it all worth it. I'll kiss the kids for you, and be safe tonight," I asked him, and he nodded.

"Lily and the kids are staying with you ?" he asked and I nodded.

"We'll be fine. Floo home tomorrow morning, and I'll have breakfast ready for you and James. I love you," I told him as I stood on my tip toes to bring my lips to his.

"I love you more," he said, just before his lips met mine. It was a sweet, but passion filled kiss. I could hear Lily reminding Remus that the potion was in the fridge, and he needed to take two full doses before nightfall. We flooed over to the Weasley house to get our kids.

"Mistress Anwen, Mistress Anwen, please wake up," I heard a gravely voice calling me, and I struggled to wake up. I opened my eyes, and Kreacher was standing next to the bed.

"Kreacher, what's wrong? Is it the kids?" I asked him, my mind still filled with sleep.

"No, ma'am. St. Mungo's just fire called. Master Sirius is in Hospital," he said, and my eyes flew fully open and I sat up.

"Alright, I'm going to get dressed and go right over there. Thank you," I said, dismissing him from our chambers. It wouldn't do any good to question him more fully, the effort it would take to get information from him would just slow me down. I quickly changed into some clothes, and went down a floor to the guest room that Lily and Emma were sharing. I knocked lightly, and was relieved when Lily told me to enter. When I opened the door, I saw her sitting there, feeding Emma.

"Lily, Sirius is in St. Mungo's. I don't know anything else, as soon as I do, I'll get in touch with you. Can you keep an eye on the kids?" I asked and she nodded at me.

"Don't worry about the kids. Tell James to Patronus if he needs me, and Anwen, I am sure that it's nothing too bad," she said, and nodded at her. I just needed to know for sure. I took off down the remaining stairs.

When I got to St. Mungo's I went to the Trauma department, I found the information desk. "Excuse me, my husband, Sirius Black was brought in a while ago. Could you tell me where he is?" I asked the young medi-witch, and she smiled at me. "He's going to be fine, so take a deep breath there. He's down the hall, room 11," I nodded at her and took off.

I saw James in the hall, and he came up met me halfway down the hall. "Anwen, he's fine, he just needed some strengthening potions and such. It's been a long night, and we have a lot to tell you," he said, and I looked at him confused. _Why does he need strengthening potions? Was his magic depleted that badly? _I searched James with my eyes.

"Anwen, Peter was on the grounds, and the Dementors followed him. When they couldn't get to Peter, they attacked Sirius. They apparently tried to perform the kiss on him. He couldn't get his patronus up soon enough, and, well..." he trailed off. "But Harry was there, and he was able to take care of them. We weren't supposed to be on the grounds, so I brought him here for treatment. Healer Orlaf has been taking care of him" I could feel the tears behind my eyes. _My husband had endured a Dementors kiss?_

"I need to see him, please," I said, and James walked with me back to Sirius's room. I opened the door and walked in, and he was lying in the bed, looking rather gray and rather scratched up. He turned his head at the sound of the door opening. He smiled a little and I went to his side. "Are you alright, love?"

"I'm fine Anwen, it's just with the magical transfusion yesterday, I was lacking some of my strength," he said. James brought a chair over, and I sat down next to him, taking his hand in mine. I couldn't hold back the tears any more, or the anger building in me.

"No more, we are not doing another one. Look what happened to you. Are you sure that you're alright?" I said, getting hysterical. _We had spent too much damned time in this place recently._

"Sweetheart, I'm fine, I promise. They're just going to give me a few rounds of potions, and then I can come home. Calm down love, gonna take more than a few Dementors and a rat to get me away from you," he said, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. "Now, we have a story to tell you. Did James tell you what he's got living on his property now?" I shook my head at him. "A hippogriff," he said, and I looked at James shocked.

"Let me start back at the beginning," James said, and I nodded at him. Sirius shifted over, and patted on the mattress and I climbed in the bed next to him. His arm snaked around me and he sent me a wave of love. He was trying to calm me down with his mood, but I wasn't ready yet. James sat in the now empty chair. "We had eaten some dinner, and Remus had taken the first dose of his potion. We didn't have anything else to do, so we were playing poker, waiting for it to be late enough to head out to the Shack," he told me. I could only imagine what they were playing with for the poker game. _I bet that if Sirius won, someone was going to get another tattoo with him._

"Anyway, we still had the map, and we wanted to see if the route to the Whomping Willow was clear. Imagine our surprise when we saw Harry, Ron and Hermione huddled together, just outside of Hagrid's hut." I shook my head at him. _That boy needs to have a tether put on him so he can't go outside of the inhabited parts of the castle. _"I knew that the APPEAL for the Hippogriff was this afternoon," he said, emphasizing the word, like it was vile to say. "I also knew that it had failed." I nodded at him. Amelia had called me and told me what happened, and asked if we had any legal recourse. I hated to tell her that we didn't. James continued, "And that the execution was set for sundown. Three guesses what the kids were doing down there," he sighed. Clearly his son's antics were getting to him.

"We decided to head down there, to try and intercept Harry and get them back into the castle. They had freed the hippogriff, what did Hagrid call him?"

"Buckbeak," I reminded James, and Sirius shifted next to me. I could tell he was uncomfortable, so I took his hand and brought it to my lips. I had stopped crying, but my eyes were still burning.

"Right, they freed Buckbeak, and they had gotten him into the woods. I don't think that they had a plan beyond that. We let him roam the forest and I figured that we could find him in the morning, and come up with something then. Anyway, we were heading back toward the castle, when Peter appeared out of no where, and took Harry. He dragged him into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow , towards the shack." he said. I could feel my face drop. _Peter actually got hold of Harry? Wait, why the hell is James so calm._

"Love, James wasn't this calm when it happened," Sirius told me, and I looked at him, puzzled. "Your face, you were making your, 'I'm trying to make the pieces fit together face'," he told me. I smiled at my husband. _I can't believe how well he can read me._

"Remus levitated a stick and hit the knot, and we all followed Peter into the Shack. He had taken Harry's wand, and was pointing it at him, mumbling something. We got in the room, and he turned using Harry as a shield. Of course, the idiot forgot that we can do our spells silently, he never could, so I disarmed him, and then Harry elbowed him in the face," James said. "You would have been proud," and I nodded. _See, hand to hand combat training is important. Another area that Fudge was wrong about. _

"We, Sirius and I, were ready to kill him," I looked at James shocked, and then turned to look at Sirius. _This isn't the way things were done. As bad as Peter is, he shouldn't be murdered. _ I opened my mouth to say something.

"Anwen, love, he had tried to kill both of our families. Indirectly, by giving Voldemort the information about where the Potters were hiding all those years ago, and recently, by poisoning you and Lilyan. We were furious, and rightly so," Sirius told me. Again, I opened up my mouth to protest.

"We didn't kill him Anwen. Harry begged for his life, saying he didn't want his father and godfather becoming murderers. Harry saved him," James told me. Then his face softened. "All of your conversations with him about the need for justice, rather than vengeance must have stuck," he concluded. I smiled at the notion, and relaxed a little.

"I magically tied him up, and Remus sent a patronus up to Albus, to let him know that we had Peter and where. While we were doing all of this, that dumb rat starts shooting off his mouth about why he betrayed us, and how important Harry is to the Dark Lord," James said. "We basically told him that we didn't care, and that the Dementors were on their way to take him back to Azkaban. Well, his whole demeanor changed, getting bitter and angry" James finished.

"Told us he was glad that he had caused all of this trouble, and regretted that the poison hadn't had more time to work, because he was looking forward to meeting up with you, when you couldn't protect yourself with magic," my husband told me. I felt a shiver pass through me. I shook my head, partially in disbelief, partially in disgust. "He went on to insinuate what he would do to you," Sirius added in a wholly in appropriate tone of glee.

"Why are you happy about this?" I asked him.

"Anwen, we're not sure that Peter was ever able to, um, service his own needs," he said, with a dorky look on his face, "he certainly wasn't going to be able to perform under duress," he finished. I could see where he was going with this.

"You husband did a right good job of reminding him of this fact, by bringing up the time that even his Muggle magazines of the naked women couldn't help Wormtail relieve himself," James said. "I almost felt sorry for him, but not quite," I looked down at Sirius, and he was wearing the most glorious cocky smile.

"He then said that without your magic, you'd be defenseless," he said, a full scale smile erupting. " I let him know that without magic, you would still kick his dumpy arse," Sirius said proudly.

"Well, that's certainly true," I smiled at my husband. "So things seemed to be going alright. You had Peter bound, Albus knew what was happening. Where did things go wrong?" I asked.

"Not where, who," Sirius said cryptically. I looked at him puzzled.

"Snape decided to follow us. He's been peeved at Moony, since he chose to have Lily brew him the potion instead. Stupid git, probably just enjoyed seeing him suffer. Anyway, he shows up, disarms Padfoot and me because we were on campus without permission," James said rolling his eyes. "Of course, when we get disarmed, the binding on Peter is let loose. Thankfully, Harry is a smart and competent kid and knocked Snivelus out," James said smiling.

"We get Peter secured again and started outside so that the Dementors could find him, and to get the kids as far away from that experience as we could. What we didn't bother to check was the time. The moon had risen by the time we got outside," James continued the story. _Think back, had he taken the second dose? Did they tell me Remus took all of it?_

"The moonlight hit Remus, and it dawned on all of us that he hadn't taken the second dose. He was going to change, and it was going to be painful. I quickly told Harry to get Ron and Hermione out of there, I changed over. In the commotion, Peter got hold of a wand, Remus's I think, and changed himself. He scampered off into the grass, we had lost him, again," the story continued.

"Remus changed and he could smell the kids and Snape, and since he wasn't in full control of himself...." Sirius said, very quietly. "I changed over to protect them. I was pretty rough with him, trying to get him away from the kids. He's going to need some extra healing in the morning," he continued, clearly feeling badly about what he had to do. _The odd thing is that Remus will thank him for it._

"We got separated, when Moony threw Sirius off, and I needed to chase him farther into the woods. I got him deep into the forest, far away from any people and most definitely away from the school. When I was sure that he wouldn't be able to attack anyone, I went back to find Sirius," James said.

"What happened to you?" I asked my beloved, stroking his face where a cut was healing.

"Moony had thrown me pretty hard, cracked a few ribs I was sure. I stumbled away from where I thought that James had chased him. I ended up on the some soft ground, near a clearing, I don't even really know where I was," he told me, looking off into the distance, trying to remember. "I shot some sparks up out of my wand, to let James know where I was. The pain was intense, and I was bleeding pretty badly," he told me his voice getting quieter. I could see the tears forming in his eyes.

"The Dementors were there, and there were so many of them," he started. "I tried to think of you, and the kids, and I made a shield for a while, but I was overpowered. It was too much, and the shield fell. It was awful, Winnie. I heard what my father said to me while I was growing up, I remembered your face that night in Greece, I thought about how lost I felt when you were poisoned in February..." he trailed off. I wiped the tears from his eyes, and kissed him.

"Don't think on it anymore love, remember my kisses, not theirs," I whispered as I kissed him again.

"He must have passed out, because he was unconscious when Harry found him. Harry ran over and cast his patronus. He produced a full bodied charm Winnie. He's only 13 and he did it," James told me, beaming with pride.

"We always knew that he was strong, this just proves it. Did he tell you what form it takes?" I asked, looking for something happy to lift my mood.

"It's a stag, too," James said, choking back tears of joy and pride. "Harry drove the Dementors away, and just before he succumbed to the exhaustion, he fired off some sparks to alert his friends. Albus found Hermione and Ron and the three of them went down to get Harry and Sirius. I came upon them as they were headed to the castle. Albus suggested that I bring Sirius here, which I did," James told me, concluding the story.

"I can't believe it, we almost had Peter and he escaped again. Maybe he should have become a cat, since it seems that he has 9 lives," I joked and they both laughed at me, until Sirius realized that it hurt to laugh. He winced in pain, and I kissed him again.

"Hey, we saved Snape from a werewolf, do you know what that means?" Sirius said with a wicked smile. James looked at him, and the realization dawned on his face.

"Snivellus owes you a life debt, and he now owes me two," James told us. "Wait, and Peter owes his life to Harry. Maybe it wasn't such a bad night after all," he added, and we all nodded.

We talked for a few minutes more, until a medi-witch came in to give Sirius some more potions, including one to induce sleep. James told us he was going to go and see Lily and then head up to Hogwarts. It was nearly dawn now, and he would want to find Remus and get him back to Lily as quickly as possible. He would make sure that she and Eira had a full updating while he was at my house. I stood and hugged him and thanked him for everything, and asked him to convey to Harry my appreciation for all he'd done the night before.

Sirius fell asleep and I settled myself into the chair, wishing I had brought some work with me, so I could read while I rested. _I am far too keyed up right now to sleep myself. _I was lost in my thoughts about the argument that I needed to prepare for the Council of 13 meeting in two days, and then the Wizengamot the following week. I was nearly positive that Albus had enough votes with him to at least temporarily halt the movement on the Anti-Werewolf legislation, but I still wanted to put together a strong argument. I was roused from my thoughts by Healer Orlaf entering the room.

"Anwen, it's nice to see you, but not like this. How is our patient doing?" he asked me, extending his hand. I stood and shook it and then looked at my husband.

"He's sleeping right now. He couldn't do a charm last night, that I happen to know he's been able to do since he was 18. What the hell happened?" I demanded.

"The transfusion drained him. I've never worked with anyone whose magic was bound before. You're in unchartered waters, Anwen," he said calmly. That wasn't good enough for me.

"Then, that's it. We're done with the transfusions. My magic can come back on it's own, or I will stay at the level I'm at. No more," I said, clearly putting my foot down.

"Very well. Next week, I will remove the obligation from your magic and we can begin seeing how or if it has been affected. Now, as for your husband, he should be fine to go home by the end of the day. Try and keep him quiet for another week, he did crack two ribs, and while we have given him skele-grow, the muscles were damaged as well, and they simply need time to heal. I will give him another dose of strengthening potion while he's here, and he will need to have doses tonight and tomorrow," he said. I nodded at all he was saying. "I'll be back later to check on him. Try and rest yourself, you're still not at your best," he reminded me and I nodded at him. When he left the room, I sat back down, and drifted off to sleep.

**Sirius POV:**

"In conclusion, further regulation is unwarranted at this time. The current registry is sufficient for Ministry needs," she ended. I watched my wife close her portfolio. She looked amazing in her black and red solicitor's robes, and she commanded everyone's attention. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"I have one," Lucius Malfoy said. Anwen nodded at him. "Shouldn't we do everything we can to protect our society from such dangerous half–breeds?"

"We are. We are now able to identify the individual werewolf who bit and infected someone. The are slight variations to the strain based on the person's blood chemistry. All cases that have been reported since 1983 have this information recorded in the case file," she spoke.

"But how do you know who the offending werewolf is? Do we have a registry of their blood?" he asked her, and Anwen smiled a half smile at him. _He must have walked into something she set up._

"We haven't needed one since the end of the war. The great majority of the attacks that have occurred in recent years have been perpetrated by the same person. A known associate of the Death Eaters," she told him. "Those that were not included in this number, generally fell into accidental infections, often done by young family members who did not know that they were werewolves themselves. I can provide you with a complete statistical analysis if you would like," she offered. Malfoy shook his head.

"But shouldn't we be proactive in our registration of these vile creatures?" Nott asked her.

"That would be a viable plan, if the attacks were increasing; but the reality is that they have decreased significantly. Creating such a registry would only inflict upon the infected further alienation and ridicule," she told him.

"Aren't you a little biased in this area?" Lucius taunted her. I watched Anwen steel her face, and open her mouth to speak, but Albus started before she could.

"I do not think that questioning Ms. Hodgson-Black's objectivity in this matter is relevant," he said. I was getting frustrated, but I felt my wife send me a wave of calm, and a small curl of her lips let me know that she had something to say.

"Albus, I do not mind answering the question," she said, and Albus nodded at her. "If you are referring to my relationship to Remus Lupin, then yes, I am biased. I have been friends with him since I was a child. I have never felt my life threatened by him, and I am more than willing to leave my two young children in his care. I would also like to remind the council that we only know about the effects of infection on blood chemistry because of the work Mr. Lupin has done. The decrease in new infections has also occurred because of his work with the families of the children bitten during the war. He has contributed greatly to our society, and we are all safer because of his dedication to his work," she said firmly. My heart swelled with pride for her. "Now, if you have no further questions, I will take my leave so that you may vote," she said, and no one raised any other questions.

"Thank you for your time in this matter. You have provided us with what we need to be able to move forward on this matter," Albus said. Anwen tipped her head, gathered her things, and left the board room.

We had some further discussion, several times both James and I needed to hold our tongues because of the stupid things being said. Albus finally called for the vote, and we thankfully were able to pass a moratorium on any further tightening on werewolf legislation. We exited the conference room, and James and I headed down to Anwen's office.

"Edie, is she in there?" I asked her assistant, and she smiled up at me.

"She is, and she is anxious to hear what you have to say. Already ordered two cups of coffee and two chocolate bars from downstairs," she told me. _Wow, must be stressed if she's gone through that much chocolate._

I pushed open her door and saw my wife. She had changed out of her official robes, and now was simply in work robes. Remus was in her office, pacing as we entered.

"Well?" he asked, and Anwen was rising to greet me.

"The moratorium passed, but we agreed that we would re-visit the matter in another year," I told them, and they both seemed to relax. "You, were brilliant," I told her, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her.

"Thank you, I was nervous," she told me. Then, extracting herself from my arms, she went and knocked on the door that led to Amelia's office. The door opened and Amelia surveyed the room and smiled.

"I knew you were the person to make them understand. Thank you," she said gratefully.

"I didn't do it for you," my wife said to Amelia, and then she turned and was looking at Remus. He immediately crossed the room and hugged her. He whispered something in her ear, and she nodded against him.

"Alright, take the rest of the day off, because tomorrow we need to start looking at this thing at Hogwarts' next school year. I want to make sure that I understand all of the laws and rules governing it, so I know what kind of security I need to attach to it." Anwen nodded. "You'll need to talk to the Wizengamot next week, present a full report on our legal obligations and such."

"Already started, but I will take the afternoon off, thanks," she said looking at her boss.

Amelia looked up at Remus and spoke to him. "I was so sorry to hear about what happened. Susan spoke of how she enjoyed your class, and about how much she had learned. I doubt Albus will find as good of a teacher," she told him.

"Thank you, but it wasn't meant to be. Fortunately, I have my work with Lily and the children to go back to on a more full time basis," he said, but we all knew that he was disappointed that Severus had made his secret public knowledge to get back at us for what happened in the shack.

"Well, I am glad that today worked out so well. Enjoy your afternoon," she said, and Anwen nodded.

"I am planning on it. I have a check up at St. Mungo's and then some other tasks to deal with. I'll see you in the morning." Amelia nodded, and closed the door. Anwen grabbed her cloak, and told me that she would see me at home after her appointment, and the rest of us went to lunch.

**Anwen POV:**

_I am way too__ excited about this. _I was sitting on the bed, bouncing up and down on my bum. Spring had turned to summer and I was enjoying the warm July breeze that was floating in from the open window. I had relied on my sister to help me with this little scheme, but she seemed more than happy to help. Actually, it was pretty funny, as soon as Eira got here, she reminded me that I owed her a story about Sirius from school I had told her years ago that she had to wait until she was of age, and she didn't forget. I had explained Sirius's rep while he was at school, and what exactly our binding meant for our marital relations. I knew that Ma would kill me if she ever found out, but well, my littlest sister was of age now. Today, I had employed Lily's help as well. Sirius should be home any minute. _I can play my __husband so well._

_Five months, two weeks, and six days. That is how long it has been. And that should be ending in less than an hour. Yeah!!_ And I was bouncing on the bed again.

I felt him before I heard him. He had come through the floo and had started bounding up the stairs.

"Anwen, Anwen, where the hell are you? What happened? Where are you love?" He was screaming. _Thank goodness the kids are gone. I hate when he yells in the house._ I could hear his footsteps reaching the third floor. He entered our room, and was immediately alarmed to find me in bed.

"Anwen, love, what happened? I got a message from Lily saying that you were at home in bed and I needed to get here as soon as I could," he told me, coming over to sit down on the bed next to me. I casually raised my hand and the door to our room closed. He looked at the door, and then looked at me again. "Anwen, you just did magic," he said in disbelief. I nodded at him.

"You just did wandless magic," he said again. I nodded again. "Really, we're like two weeks ahead of schedule here," and I nodded my head again.

"Complete and total clean bill of health," I said calmly. I could tell that he was excited.

"Really, no side effects?"

"None. My visualization skills are a little, um, wonky; but Albus assured me that with practice they would come back," I told him. "Now, as much as I would love to talk about my magic, there is something else that I would much rather be doing," I told him, sending him a wave of lust and longing. It was enough, and he gathered me up in his arms, and kissed me passionately.

For the last few months, we had been so very cautious with our passion, afraid to get me to excited, afraid to make him too frustrated. We didn't have to be today, finally. I felt Sirius stroke my lips with his tongue and I opened my mouth. I loved the way my husband tasted. There was a desperation to his kisses, and to the rate with which he was removing my clothing.

We needed little encouragement, there was a recklessness to what we were doing. It wasn't the best we had ever had, but it was wonderful in it's own way. I was finally whole again, finally complete. When we were done, we lay together in a sweaty mass of limbs.

"I missed you so very much," I moaned at him.

"I missed you too, more than you could know," he said, running his hand across my mid section. "So, Lily knew what was happening today?"

"Yeah, when I got back from the Healer today, I immediately fire called her. Eira flooed over with the kids, and they are spending the night. Ginny and Ron were coming over as well. We have hours and hours alone, together," I told him, as I lifted his hand to kiss it.

"You used your sister to help facilitate a shag-a-thon?"

"Yup, with the promise that I would take her, Ginny and Hermione to Monaco next weekend. Seems a small price to pay to be able to be alone with you, my darling husband," and I tilted my head to kiss him again.

"I agree," he said, kissing me again. "Wait, that means I'm alone with the kids for the weekend," he looked at me, cocking his eyebrow.

"Sorry," I said. "Maybe Moony can help?" I offered.

"I don't want to talk about kids," he said, kissing me, "or siblings," another kiss, "or friends," another kiss, this one deeper and longer. "I'm not sure that I even want to talk at all," he said, gently rolling me over onto my stomach. Sirius settled himself down next to me, to my left side, his right arm draped over me. And then I felt it, his lips on my back. He shifted my hair to one side, and moved his lips to my hair line, and slowly began to kiss his way down my spine. It was sensuous, the way his tongue would trace along my vertebrae, his hands gently stroking my sides. When he got to my Griffin tattoo, I had nearly lost the ability to breathe. _This is going to be a really good day._


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Hello there folks, this is a short chapter, not even 5000 words, but it is pure fluff. I don't think that there is anything that moves the plot forward, but there is some rather intimate dancing between Anwen and Sirius, a sweet moment between Sirius and Ginny and a whole lot of dancing. There is a boat load of music for this chapter: "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls, "Pavne" by Faure, "Waltz of the Flowers" from the Nutcracker, "The Cat Rambles to the Child's Saucepan" which is a traditional Scots Reel. (I love the version by the Boston Pops). "Kiss from a rose" by Seal, pretty much any early Beatles songs, but especially "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and for that final dance that Anwen and Sirius do at the end, "Stripped" by Depeche Mode. (And yes, you really can do the dance to it, I have indeed done it.) As always, I don't own these characters, or the world that they live in; but I am quite happy with the reality that I have given them. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 21:**

**If we have to wear dress robes...**

**Anwen POV:**

"Okay, the tents are fully furnished, so all we need to remember are clothes and necessities for everyone. Write down that we do need the babies' cribs and high chairs, and I think we should take at least one play yard," I said, and Lily was scribbling things down. Tonks was fawning over the girls who were in the playpen together. Emma was able to sit up in the corner, Lilyan was lying down, unable to sit just yet. We were leaving for the Quidditch World Cup in four days, on Tuesday, August 19th. Remus would be going back and forth, due to the full moon in the middle of the week.

"The grocery and kitchen lists seem complete as well," Lily told me. I was still sure that we would forget something. "Are you sure that you want to have Kreacher come, it's not like he's pleasant or anything?"

"I agree, but I also don't want to be cooking for 24 people, three times a day. He's going to come and go, not stick around all of the time, which will make him almost bearable," I told her.

"I don't understand why you haven't freed him. He's always been vile," Tonks said, tearing her eyes from the little girls. "My Mum has some nasty stories from her childhood."

"I know. At first, we kept him because Sirius wanted me to have help with the house. Now, we can't free him, he knows too much, knows about Harry and his prophecy and how we have been training him. If we let him go, he's liable to go right to Narcissa, which wouldn't be good. When He rises again, Lucius will be in his inner circle again, I just know it. Sirius is kinder to him, and it has softened him some. I just ignore his mutterings," I told her. She shrugged her shoulders.

There was a soft breeze blowing on the back patio at the Manor, and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Eira were flying. Four year old Evan was up on his broom as well, flying about five feet off the ground. The older kids took turns coming down and flying alongside him. Hermione was walking alongside of Ethan, who was on his little broom, but only about 18 inches off the ground. A slight ringing sound let us know that an owl had passed through the wards. Hedwig landed on the table, and Lily removed the parchment from her leg, and offered her a bit of oatmeal cookie that was on the table. I swear the bird nodded at her, and then took off to fly with Harry.

"That bird is too smart. Harry was just saying yesterday that he wanted to fly with Hedwig before we left for the World Cup," she said. "Look, Hogwarts letters. I am glad that these came now, I was afraid that we would have to do all of the shopping when we got back, which wouldn't have left much time for packing. Oh, and they sent Hermione's as well. She's been here most of the summer. We're happy to have her, but don't her parents ever miss her? "

"I get the feeling that her parents might feel the same way my Ma and Da felt when they found out I was a witch. The number of days I spent at home once I started Hogwarts I can count on my hands. They were disappointed in me and my choices, and I didn't want to be around them. It wasn't until they were here for my sixteenth birthday that things seemed to heal for us. By then I was almost an adult," I said sadly. "At least they're more accepting of Eira," I sighed. Lily nodded, understanding.

"Harry, Hogwarts letter came. Hermione's is here too. Why don't you have Ron fire call his house and see when his Mum wants to go shopping?" She yelled up to Harry, and he immediately went over to talk with Ron. Ron flew down, and got off his broom.

"I'll call her and let you know," Ron said, grabbing two biscuits from the plate on the table. "ood iscuits nt inne," he muttered with his mouth full. _DId he just say, Good biscuits Aunt Winnie?_

"Thanks, I think," I told him, still rather confused. He went inside and Harry and Hermione came over to get their letters. Ginny and Eira were now down with Evan and Ethan, who were flying side by side. Harry and his friend each opened their letters and read through them.

"Dress Robes? Why do you think I need dress robes?" Harry asked, and Lily and I looked at each other and then at Tonks. We were all smiling. I sighed.

"The Ball. That was the first night Sirius kissed me," I said.

"It was the night that James proposed," Lily said.

"It was the night I let Charlie feel my boobs," Tonks added, and Lily and I both looked at her, ripped from our romantic stupor.

"What? Charlie who?" I asked her.

"Charlie Weasley, he was in his 4th year, I was in my 3rd. We dated for almost a year. The ball was about two months after we got together. We found an empty broom closet and well, I let him touch my... wasn't much there though," she told us. I couldn't help but look up at Harry who had turned a red that would make the Weasley blush look tame.

"You were thirteen, and you and Charlie were...touching each other," I sort of coughed out, looking at her shocked. "How are you tolerating dating Remus, the consummate gentleman?"

"Well, Anwen," she said, sounding a bit like me when I was teaching. "There are devices that allow you to, um, alleviate your own tension," she said, and Lily and I looked at her shocked. Harry and Hermione looked on in abject horror.

"Is it a Black family thing that you're all horny and are willing to share that information? Girl, there are teenagers here," I sort of yelled at her.

"Sorry," she muttered. I tried to shake that image from my mind, but I was afraid it was stuck there.

"Ball, what kind of a ball?" Hermione asked, still in shock, and wanting to change the subject.

"I'm guessing that there will be a Yule Ball, right before Christmas. They hold one every four years, so it would be time for one," Lily told them.

"You're right, although they would have missed one in there. In 1981 there was the Family and Alumni Ball, in November. At the end of the first war. Missed that one, I was in Czechoslovakia, tracking down the Lestranges," I sighed. _Cold, wet, bad food, bad accommodations and near constant fighting for three days._ "They held one in '82, so," I paused doing the math, "yeah, that would be right".

"The Yule Ball is a lovely tradition. I remember ours, it was a beautiful night, I think I have pictures of us around here somewhere," Lily said. Ron came back out and grabbed another cookie.

"Mum said tomorrow would be best, since Dad will be off work. You're supposed to call her later with the times and stuff," Ron said.

"Tomorrow is fine. Why don't we finish the supply shopping as well?" Lily said and I nodded in agreement.

"Eira has been bugging me to go to Diagon Alley anyway, we'll make a day of it. Plus, we can take the guys for added protection," I told her.

"Mine says dress robes or a gown? What do you suggest?" Hermione asked.

"Madame Malkin will have a selection of robes in her store, but when we went, Lily and I both bought gowns in a Muggle shop. We wanted to make sure that we looked individual enough," I explained, and I could watch as she was making mental notes of what I was saying. "If you aren't happy with what you see while we're shopping tomorrow, you could always special order something or we can go into Muggle London and go to Harrods. I've always been pleased with what they carry there," I told her and she nodded.

"Wait, if we have to wear dress robes, and the girls get dressed up, then there is going to be dancing, isn't there?" Harry said, with a look of disgust on his face. His mother and I smiled at him.

"There is. Lucky for you, your father and your uncles are quite good at dancing. Hum, I think that a lesson would be in order, what do you think?" Lily said, looking from her son to me.

"Oh, I most definitely agree. I'll provide the music and the instruction," I told her.

"And I will fire call Molly and invite them all over for dinner. Remus was coming tonight anyway to work on some potions with me. We can do a cook out, and then we can teach the kids to dance," Lily said. Harry had a mortified look on his face. "You'll be fine, just trust us. Winnie was a professional dancer when she was younger, she'll teach you all you need to know," she said and Harry gave her half a smile. "Tonks, can you stay?" The young Auror shook her head.

"Nope. I have another night shift to take. We are so short–staffed, I don't even know if I'm going to be able to see the matches that you guys gave me tickets for at the World Cup next week. With no new class, and you and Mad Eye gone, the department is falling apart," she sighed, clearly frustrated at this new turn of events at work. Part of me was secretly happy that my departure had meant something, but not that Tonks was having to work harder.

Day turned to evening, and everyone was sitting on the patio. We were finishing up dessert, when I leaned over to Sirius.

"How about if we go and get things set up in the ballroom, so that we can teach these kids how to dance?" I asked him and he nodded. We stood up and walked toward the french doors that lead to the kitchen.

"Lil, give us about five minutes, and then bring everyone in," I told her and she nodded. We opened the doors to the ballroom, and I saw my CD player on the floor. I had brought a large box of CD's with me, as well as extra batteries. _James and Lily really need to expand the electrical wiring in this house. Now that we knew how to insulate it correctly, we don't have to worry about it shorting out so much._

I kicked off my trainers, and stood in my stocking feet. Sirius just laughed at me.

"I can't point my toes correctly in those things. And toe point is important to extension," I told him, but he still laughed. I selected a CD, and put it on. As soon as Sirius heard the notes, he smiled at me.

"I don't know if I remember how to do it, it's been almost nine years love," he said taking me in his arms and whirling me around.

"I know, but I loved the way it felt to dance to this with you. It doesn't have to be perfect, I just want to dance with you," I said, quietly, staring into his eyes. The strains of the Pavanefrom the Faure Requiemwafted through the room, and we danced together. It was different from the last time. I wasn't wearing a full gown, so Sirius was pressed up much closer to me. In fact, I was only wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top and my little white socks. Within a moment, we both were lost in the music and movement, like our bodies remembered this dance. Sirius slid his hand inside the bottom of my shirt, so that his hold was flesh on flesh. His eyes bore into me, and I felt like I was falling in love with him all over again. The feeling that he had washing over me was sumptuous and loving.

"This is a pretty special room for us, you know. I loved the way it felt to kiss you on the dance floor, on your sixteenth birthday," he said to me, leaning down to kiss me again. We got the part of the song where Sirius had to lift me, and he snaked his arms around me, and lifted me high. When he was supposed to put me down, he slid me along his body, gently kissing the skin above my breasts as it came in line with his lips. My breath caught. We continued to dance, until the song was over. Once again, just like on our wedding day, he dipped me low and kissed me deeply.

"Bloody hell, if that's what we have to do, I am not going," we heard a voice behind us say.

"Language Ronald," was uttered by both Molly and Hermione. Everyone else started laughing.

"No, you won't have to dance like that," I told him, Sirius bringing me back up so I was standing upright. "That was the dance from our wedding reception. You kids would have been too young to remembered. Just a little walk down memory lane," I sighed, taking my husband's hand and leading him over toward the group. "It was however, a modified waltz, which is the most basic dance for you to learn. Mr. Potter is a very good partner, so he and I are going to teach each of you the basic steps." They all looked at me terrified. "Girls come over here and stand by me, boys, line up behind Mr. Potter," I told them, and they did as I asked.

**Sirius POV:**

It was fascinating to watch my wife teach dancing. I loved to watch her teach, but this was very different. She was completely relaxed, and clearly enjoying herself. _I forgot how much she loved to dance, and how good she was at it. The years had changed her body very little since I first watched her dance when she was 13, in that hot and stuffy studio in London. Her hips had a greater curve, her breasts were certainly more ample than they had been when she was so young, but she was still lithe and lovely. She looks no where near 31 years old._ She and James stood across from each other, but not touching each other. They simulated the hold of the dance, and then had the kids imitate them. Winnie quickly ran around, adjust their arm positions, and then went back to James.

I watched as my best friend took hold of my wife, and they began to demonstrate the dance. No music, Winnie just counting out loud.

"1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3.." she said. "Once you find the rhythm it will be easy for you to add other steps. Follow us, ready, 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3.." she continued, looking around the room. They did this for a minute or two more. Lily Summoned some chairs, and the Weasleys, Lily, Remus and I sat down by the CD player. The four little kids were in the play yards near us. The girls were asleep, but the boys were playing and watching what we were doing. All of the big kids seemed to be getting the hang of it, but it was obvious that Eira had some of her sister's natural grace.

"Sirius, there should be a CD in there of the Nutcracker Suite. Can you put on _The Waltz of the Flowers _for me please?" Winnie asked, and I dug through the box and put the CD on. After the introduction, she and James started to waltz. She named the steps that they were doing, and explained how to do them. About halfway through, she asked me to stop the song.

"Okay, now, I want all of you to try. At first, just get the 1,2,3,1,2,3 down, and then we can start adding more difficult steps," She said. "Lil, you want to come and dance with your husband, so I can go around and help?"

"Oh, I guess, if I must," she sighed and got up to join James. The kids paired themselves off, Ginny immediately grabbed Harry's hand, not wanting to dance with one of her brothers. Ron took Hermione, and George was dancing with Eira. Molly felt badly for Fred, so she went and danced with him. He made the most awful face at his Mum.

"Well, you can switch off in a minute," she said, but he was still moping. Anwen started counting it off, and after some fumbling, the kids all seemed to get it. I started the music again, they all seemed to stumble all over again, but after a while they were doing the basic waltz step. She then started having James and Lily demonstrate more difficult steps and the kids would mimic. She would run around and correct their hold or foot placement, always telling them that they did well.

When she felt like the waltz was well at hand, she moved onto something faster, a traditional Scottish folk dance. I remembered that they had thrown it in at our ball, and I only made it through because of Anwen's expertise. She had me come up and demonstrate with her, and I fumbled a little, but after a while, I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.

"Your deputy headmistress is a Scot, she'll make sure that there is a reel in there, trust me. Just imagine the house points you'll get when you know how to do this," she beamed at them.

We ran through the reel a few times, and then she moved on to the Fox Trot. I had watched Anwen and Remus do this at our wedding, and I was amazed at how well they moved together. She confided that they often danced at the little house in London, while I was in exile to lighten her mood. She put on a more modern piece of music, and they began demonstrating the dance. Even as they danced, Anwen continued to describe the dance and the moves.

Fred and George decided that they had enough, and excused themselves for the kitchen, leaving Eira alone. Harry volunteered to dance with her, so I went and danced with Ginny. She kept stepping on my feet, so I finally just picked her up and danced with her feet on mine, so that she could get the feel of the dance. She was laughing so hard, and I was happy to see her laughing this way. It was a far cry from last summer. She looked behind me, and something made her look sour. I turned her around and saw Harry smiling dreamily at Eira.

"You really like him, don't you?" I asked her. She blushed and then nodded at me.

"Yeah. I don't want to dislike Anwen's sister, but that's Harry she's dancing with. My Harry," she said very quietly.

"I know honey. He likes you too, I just don't think he knows that he does yet. Boys can be sort of dense at this age. Trust me, I know all about dense," I told her, and she smiled at me. "Would you like some advice?"

"Advice on boys from you, Uncle Sirius? I'm not even 13 yet," she said skeptically.

"I know how old you are Ginny," I said to her. _Doesn't anybody trust me? "_Just be yourself. You're an amazing girl, and Harry is bound to figure that out, it may take him a while, but give him a chance to discover that he likes you, for you. Alright?" I asked her, giving her a little squeeze.

"Hermione told me the same thing," she said nodding at me. "Yeah, okay," she sighed.

"Okay, how about if we put your feet on the ground and see if you can do this dance now," I asked, and she did much better.

Anwen changed the music again, and she taught them all a modified jitter bug type dance, which they got into. Molly and Arthur got up to dance, and even Ethan and Evan were bouncing around. Both Lilyan and Emma started to cry, so I went over to tend to them. Emma just needed her pacifier, but Lilyan was getting hungry. I looked over at the crowd, Winnie was helping the kids and James and Lily were clearly engrossed in their dancing. Remus had even gotten up and was dancing with Eira. I realized just how late it was, and that we needed to be getting the kids home and to bed. The Beatles were blaring out of the CD player, and everyone was laughing, I hated to tear my wife away. Just then Eira walked over to me.

"Hey, Sirius, how about if I take these two home, and you can stay for a while longer. I think my sis might like to dance with you some more," she said with a silly smile on her face. "I like seeing her smile, and it's been a pretty rough year on her so far," she said with a more serious tone to her voice.

"You know, you're an awful lot like her. You've got her perception of people, and her gentleness." Eira looked down at the floor.

"Sirius, if I could be half the woman my sister is, I would be lucky. And, if I ever find someone who loves me the way you love her, I will thank God every day for it," she told me, and it was my turn to feel embarrassed. "Anyway, I think that Harry has a crush on me, and while he's cute and everything, I don't date younger boys," she told me resolutely. I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Okay, go on home and we'll be there in a while. Thanks, Eira," I told her as she gathered up our children and headed to the floo. As she was leaving, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" came on, and I quickly got over to Winnie, and scooped her up and spun her around. I had always loved this song, and it always made me smile when I heard it, thinking about my wife. We danced together, and we did some rather intricate lifts and tricks that she had taught me years ago. By the time the song ended, we were both laughing rather hard.

"Okay, I'm bushed. Maybe we should get the little ones home," she said panting. She lifted her hand and conjured herself a glass of water.

"Already done love. Your sister volunteered to take them home, so we could stay and have a little more fun. How about if you sit down for a while, you look rather tired." She nodded at me and we took our seats. We watched the kids dance a little more. Harry and Ginny were spinning around so fast I was sure that one of them would be sick all over the floor. Hermione and Ron were arguing about something. The twins were dancing with each other, generally making fools of themselves. Soon all of the adults were sitting together watching the frivolity on the floor. It wasn't until the music stopped completely, that the kids realized that they were alone out there.

Lily went and got a large pitcher of lemonade and some glasses and they drank it down greedily.

"Well, you all have basic steps, so you won't make a fool of yourself at the ball. Your dates will be pleased," Winnie said to them, and all six blushed. Harry and Ginny locked eyes, and then immediately looked at the floor.

"Where did Eira go?" Harry asked. Ginny's face fell at his question.

"She took the kids home, to put them to bed. She won't be here for the ball anyway, so learning to dance for it didn't really matter to her. Anyway, she seems to have gotten the Hodgson family grace," I said, stroking my wife's back.

"Aunt Winnie, Mrs. Potter said that you were a professional dancer. Is that true?" Hermione asked her. Anwen looked uncomfortable at the question.

"Yes, a long, long time ago. When I was studying music, I was able to dance with the junior company at the Ballet School for the London Ballet. I also was an instructor there," she said quietly.

"Really. I've been into London to see the Nutcracker with my family when I was younger. Wow," she said, clearly impressed.

"When we were little, Aunt Winnie and Uncle Sirius used to take Harry and me to see the ballet, and she knew people in the company, so we would go backstage and get to look around. It was so cool," Ginny told her. "Can you still dance?" she asked Winnie.

"Probably. I mean, I haven't taken a dance class since I was six months pregnant with Ethan, but I probably can," she said quietly.

"Can you dance for us?" Hermione asked, and I could feel the apprehension in my wife.

"I don't know..." she said, looking a little skeptical. "It's been a long time..."

"Why don't you. You were amazing when we did the wedding dance. Give it a shot," I told her. She nodded at me, and then surprised me by saying, "I'll only do it, if you dance with me," she smiled as she spoke. How could I refuse her.

She dug through the box and put a different CD on, and as soon as I heard it, I knew what she wanted to do. For some reason, the Tango had always been her favorite dance to do with me, and she was amazing at it. I took her in my arms, and we started the dance. She had figured out that we could Tango to one of her favorite songs by _Broken Broomsticks_, and we were dancing to it again. I loved the way her back felt taught and tight as I held her, and there were "oohs and aahs" when she lifted her leg, and rested her ankle on my shoulder as I pulled her across the floor. She ended it dramatically by bending over backwards and letting her fingers skim the floor. _Show off, sexy show off, but a show off nonetheless._

Once we were done, I could feel what the dancing had done to her, and I knew that she wanted to get home. The kids asked if we could leave the CD player, so that they could dance more, and we agreed. We also promised that we would take it with us on our holiday, so they could practice some more. When we got home, I took my lovely wife in my arms and asked her, "Love, are you happy?"

"As long as I am with you, I am always happy. Now, all that dancing has made me rather, randy. How about if you take me to bed?" she said, cocking her eyebrow. She didn't have to ask twice. We quickly checked on the kids. Eira was in the sitting room, watching the tele. We bid her goodnight, and went to the fourth floor, to see our little angels, who were sound asleep. We charmed Lilyan's crib, to let us know when she awoke to eat in the night and then I lifted my wife into an embrace, cradled her to me, and took her to our room. We sealed and silenced the room, just for good measure.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Here it is, the Quidditch World Cup, with a slight twist. The opening section with Anwen is a homage to any one else who went on camping trips as a kid. I still shudder at them and refuse to stay anywhere that doesn't have indoor plumbing after these experiences of my youth. A hip of the hat to HGRH35 who figured out a key bit of plot that is revealed in this chapter, kudos my dear for figuring out why Anwen's sister was going to be so important. I hope that you like it, and that you can really begin to see how things are going to be different for Harry with his family around him, as we begin that slow descent to war. The song for this chapter is one of my absolute favorites, it's called "Let It Go" by Midge Ure (the OTHER guy behind BandAid and LiveAid in the eighties, but no one talks about him). I really suggest that you find a copy of it and listen to it, I think that it describes Anwen to a tee. Again, I so appreciate your reading and reviewing this, and I am eternally grateful to my beta, MyGinevra, for his ability to fix my inability to even get spell check to work right. Please, please take the time to read his amazing story, "The Hogs Head". I don't own HP, or any of the recognizable characters, but I certainly like the world that I have woven for them. Mutt**

**Chapter 22:**

**The Quidditch World Cup**

**Sirius POV:**

"Okay, everybody, listen up," she said loudly, trying to get the attention of the whole group of assembled people here. There were 22 of us, Percy Weasley and Tonks were still at the Ministry, but they would apparate back and forth when they could be here during the holiday. People were sitting, standing, lounging on the ground. "We are so happy that all of you could join us for this extended holiday. Let me set up the camp rules here, and the adults have agreed to them, so kids, you're just going to have to deal," she said proactively. _I loved when Winnie was two steps ahead of everyone else._

"First, because of the bedtimes of the little kids, the kitchen closes at 9. You cannot come into the tent to raid the stocks after that. It won't be pretty if you try. Don't believe me, go for it tonight," she said, cocking an eyebrow. "Lights out for the underage is at 11 unless we are at a match. Then it will be as soon as we return. Those of you of age, please remember that us old folks are here, and some of us have to get up to feed babies in the middle of the night," she added. There were chuckles in the crowd.

"Second, meals are served between 7-8, 12-1 and dinner is at 6. If we're at a match during those times, you've either got to pack up something before we go, or use your own money. I do not want Kreacher here any longer than he has to be," she said, and everyone laughed at her.

"Neither do we," James added and the laughter got louder.

"Lastly, everyone has one set of dishes. You have a cup, a plate, a bowl and silverware. They are all color coded, and they have your initials on them. If your dishes are not clean, you don't have anything to eat on. It is your responsibility to clean your dishes after every meal. Those of you who can use magic, by all means, clean them that way. For those of you who are not," she said, looking it at Harry and Ron in particular, "there will be a bucket of soapy water, a bucket of rinse water and a bucket of bleach water to sanitize in. None of your parents want a howler because you didn't feel like cleaning your dishes the old fashioned way, and decided to use underage magic," there was a collective groan from the youngsters. "And, you may not ask your mother' to do it for you. They are on holiday this week," she added sternly.

"You're as bad as Ma, Anwen," Eira said, curling her nose at her sister.

"Where do you think I got all these ideas from, sis?" she teased back. Eira stuck her tongue out at her.

"A couple of housekeeping things. You all should have enough clothes, if you somehow run out, let one of us know, and we can clean them for you. There is a ward around the camp, basically to keep the little kids close by. Lily and I would appreciate it that if you hear it ring, you go and find which of the little ones was trying to leave. If you are underage, use the buddy system when you leave camp. Sirius has money bags with spending money in it for anyone who wants one," she added. "Thanks to all of you, for everything the last few months. Now, lastly, enjoy your holiday".

She walked over to where I was sitting on the chaise I had made sure we brought. Winnie sat down between my legs and stretched her legs out and leaned herself into me. I wrapped one arm around her, the other was in the satchel that held all of the little money bags. _I had filled them, and even Winnie didn't know just how much was in them. There were enough for everyone, even the adults, but I was going to have to be sneaky about getting them to take it. Our family and friends had basically put their lives on hold for months to make sure that Anwen always had someone with her that could do magic or to help with the kids. We had thanked her Ma and Da for all they had done by sending them on a two week cruise of the Caribbean. _

"Win, the girls and I are going to take off, go and see the sights. I want to find the Canadian delegation if I can. There are supposed to be several friends from school here, okay?" Eira asked her.

"Not a problem, but Eira, you are the only one who is of age and can do magic, so keep an eye out for them, alright?" Winnie asked her and she nodded.

"Here. Take these, in case you see something that you want," I told her, handing her three bags.

"You know, you've given me so much already, you don't have to do this. I did bring my own money, and the exchange was better than I expected," Eira said, reminding me of the look that I used to get from Anwen when she was in school, and I was trying to give her money.

"Yeah, yeah. Get going kid before I change my mind," I teased her, and she ran off. I watched her give Hermione and Ginny their bags and they both turned back and smiled at me.

"You're having fun here, aren't you. Feeling a bit like Father Christmas?" she asked me, and I pulled her close and kissed behind her ear.

"It's something that I learned from you dear. Giving to others brings a great deal of joy and happiness," I whispered in her ear. She turned and looked at me.

"I love you so very much, my darling," she kissed me gently and then settled herself against me again. Ron and Harry came over to tell us that they were going exploring with Bill and Charlie Weasley, and the twins simply waved and left. _The trouble those two can get into while they're here frightens me. _Arthur was chasing Evan around and Andromeda was playing with Ethan. Lilyan was propped up in something called a 'boppy' that Anwen had found in a Muggle children's store. She was in the play yard with Emma, and they were chewing on any toys that they could get their hands on. Molly and Lily were talking about something while sitting in the grass near the play yard and James and Remus were at the edge of the camp, talking with someone I thought I recognized, but I wasn't sure. I slid the satchel under the chair and then wrapped both of my arms around my wife.

"How about if we just stay here all day, and watch the world go by," I asked her.

"As long as your arms are around me, then it sounds fine to me. This will be a wonderful holiday, and I refuse to let anything ruin it for us. We deserve some fun, given everything that we've been through," she said quietly, lacing her fingers through mine. We sat there for a while, wrapped up in each other. The wind was warm and light, and we were far enough away from the crowds that it was peaceful at the campsite.

We had set the large tent up in the middle, and then the rest of the tents in a large semi-circle around it. The girls tent was on one side, and the boys on the other. The Tonks were close to the girls while the Weasleys were close to the boys. Remus' tent was toward the back. I looked over at Lilyan, she had slumped down and dozed off. When she slept, her little face looked like a china doll. _How, with everything that happened, did we all end up so happy and actually healthy. Look at her, she's perfect. _I gave my wife a squeeze and pressed my lips to the side of her face.

"You know, we haven't talked about this, but after everything that happened, do you want to have more children, or are we done?" I asked her. This last time had been rough on her, and I wasn't sure she would ever want to go through it again. She whipped her head around and looked at me. I could feel that I had somehow hurt her.

"Why, don't you want to have any more children?" she said quietly, her eyes drifting from me to our children.

"Love, you miss understand me. I want more children, look at them. How could I not? But, with all you've been through, I wasn't sure that you would want to go through it again," I told her and her face softened.

"I do, I want more children. I love being a mother, but I love that I am the mother of your children. However, I would like to wait a little while before I get pregnant again," she told me and I kissed her neck again.

"Of course, we could however, spend some time on this holiday of ours, practicing that baby making of ours," I whispered in her ear and I could feel her laugh against me.

"We'll see love, we'll see," she muttered as she kissed me again.

**Anwen POV:**

"I don't believe you bought yourself a new broom," I told my husband. We were sitting on it, me in front, him behind me, pressed together, flying lazy circles over the woods where our camp site was.

"I need it. Can't hardly keep up with you on yours, can I?" he said back, speaking in my ear.

"And whose fault is that? You're the one who bought it for me," I teased him. "I think it has much more with Ethan toddling around saying 'Zoom faster Daddy', I reminded him of our sons antics earlier in the day.

"Well, how am I supposed to turn down a request like that?" he asked me and I just shook my head. _He is going to spoil our children so bad._

"This has been the perfect holiday, hasn't it? Everyone had fun, it was a great Cup match today. The flying was incredible, and you barely glanced at the veela's," I snickered at him. The week was over, and we would be heading back to London in the morning.

"They don't hold a candle to you love," I nearly choked laughing at him. _He was actually drooling when they took the field. Lily and I were laughing so hard at the boys when they saw them. Remus, James and Sirius recovered quickly, but the young guys weren't so lucky. They nearly fell out of the box at the sight of the lovely women._

"I wish I hadn't caught Eira snogging Charlie Weasley," I said, changing the subject, "but we'll just ignore that since she's leaving for her tour on Wednesday, and he will be back in Romania soon," I told Sirius, looking up to look at the stars.

"The difference in their ages isn't all that different from yours and mine," he teased me and I shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it. She's my baby sister and that's final. He's too old for her," I put my proverbial foot down. _This was the end of the conversation._ "This is nice. It's been a long time since we have been flying together," I told my husband gently leaning back against him.

"Too, too long my love. Now, how about if we land this thing, and we can go to sleep much the same way we woke one another up this morning," he suggested, his emotions full of desire.

"What is it about camping that has brought out the extra randy side of your personality," I asked him. _He enjoys sex most of the time, but while we've been on this trip, it's been rather unreal. More than once, I was worried that we hadn't silenced and warded ourselves enough._

"Must just be the fresh air," he quipped.

"Well then, I'll be glad when we get back to London and all it's dirty air," I mused, acting bored. He didn't buy it, and instead brought his lips to the skin behind my ear while his hand found it's way inside my shirt. "Okay, you win, but can we have a few more minutes up here. I like this, it's romantic," I told him and he tightened his hold on me. We flew some more, when I started to notice greater fires burning off in the distance. It was late, most people had quieted down for the evening, and yet these were much larger, almost like bonfires. Another one started, and then another. They were too close together, coming to life too quickly.

"Sirius, what do you think that is over there?" I asked him, pointing to the area off in the distance.

"I'm not sure love, but it doesn't look right. Should we fly over and take a look?" he asked me. I shook my head at him.

"No, let go of me, I'll go on a little reconnaissance mission and come back and let you know what I find. You go and check on the kids," I told him. He slipped his arms from me and I changed forms and flew off the broom. I was quickly in sight of the fires, and what I saw made my blood feel cold. I quickly turned and started back toward the camp. I landed in front of the tent and Sirius and James met me at the opening.

"Death Eaters, a whole group of them. They're setting fire to things, taunting families. Come on, we've got to go and help," I told them, and they set off to wake everyone else up. I ran into the tent, where Lily and Remus were having tea. They quickly grabbed the little children and started preparing them to be apparated to the Manor. Arthur and Tonks had already taken off to help. Andromeda, Ted and Molly were magically breaking the campsite down, and sending it to the Burrow. James and Sirius gathered up the kids and sent them into the woods, and we took off with the older Weasley boys to see what we could do.

Several times in the fighting, I had to steel myself against the memories that threatened to overtake me. It had been years since I had been in the presence of this many Death Eaters. I knew that Sirius was feeling what I was going through, but there wasn't time to deal with my feelings right now. People were in danger. We helped move as many people out of the progression of the Dark Wizards as we could, healing those who had been hurt, stunning others who were committing the crimes. If we were able to, we charmed them so that they would emit a pinging noise to alert the Aurors and Magical Law Enforcement officials.

Things finally seemed to be calming down, and our group was gathering to head back to the campsite, when we saw it. Slithering in the sky above where our camp was located, there was the Dark Mark. None of us said anything, we just took off running for the woods we had sent the teens into. I knew that my babies were safe, I had watched Remus pick them up and take them away, along with Lily and her children. But if anything had happened to the rest of them, or my sister...

There were Ministry officials converging on the woods, wands drawn at Ron, Hermione and Harry. Confusion seemed to be the norm at this point tonight, and Barty Crouch was yelling something about Harry conjuring the Mark. James was furious, and it took Sirius and Bill to hold him back from losing his temper and hitting old Crouch in the face.

"Prongs, let Anwen handle this. Calm down. Let's find the rest of the kids," Sirius told him, and James slowly released his anger. I stepped forward and started talking with the witches and wizards gathered around. Amos Diggory was among them, and I was happy to see another level head. He and Arthur went and retrieved the individual who had actually fired the spell. It was Winky, Crouch's house–elf. Unfortunately, the charm was indeed done with Harry's wand; which he seemed to have lost in the shuffle. We got everyone calmed down, and we quickly took hold of the kids and started apparating to the Manor, our agreed upon meeting place should anything happen or if we needed to leave without our arranged Portkey.

When we got back, I quickly checked on the kids, and then I joined James, Remus and Sirius who were in the library, reading Harry the riot act.

"Guys, if you don't mind, I think I would like to handle this one. Harry and I need to have a talk," I said calmly, even though I was seething underneath. _He has been trained better than this, and he most certainly knows better than this. _All of them could see it in my eyes, and the men left the room. I pointed at the door, and indicated that Harry should head out, and then shepherded him out the front door of the house.

"Walk," I commanded him. It was late and quite dark, but I wanted to do this away from the house, so in case I should start yelling, I wouldn't wake anyone else up.

"Thanks for saving me, Aunt Winnie," Harry said, clearly thinking that he had gotten off easier by having me talk with him.

"Don't thank me yet, little man. Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Aunt Winnie, I swear, I had my wand on me, and then it was gone," he started in.

"Harry, what were you keeping you wand in?" I asked him calmly, afraid of the answer that he would give.

"It was in my pocket," he said quietly. _At least he knows his first mistake of the night._

"Your pocket, huh. Why was it in your pocket?" I questioned him. There was no right answer to this question. He must have sensed this, because he chose not to answer. "Where is your holster, Harry?"

"It's up on my dresser," he told me quietly.

"Do I have to go over the reasons that you have your wand in a holster and not in your pocket again?" I seethed.

"No," he whined. _Good. It's a mistake that I thought we had covered that first summer, when I was able to disarm him almost instantly because his wand was in his pocket, rather than in the charmed holster where it was supposed to be. There is a reason that the Aurors and all of his family used them._ "It's just uncomfortable and in the warm weather, it kind of gets wet and gross," he told me.

"I know, and you could have asked one of the adults to charm it so that wouldn't happen. Instead you chose not to, you took the easy way out. You chose the way that you could end up with your wand being taken from you, which it was," I told him. He bowed his head and stopped walking. "I have another question for you," I told him and he looked up at me.

"Yes".

"Do you have your charm and Portkey on?"

"Yes".

"Why the hell didn't you use it?" I snapped at him. _This ought to be good._

"What would have happened if I left? My friends were there, they would have been in the woods alone," he whined at me again, and this time I lost it.

"First of all, you weren't much good there in the woods without a wand. You couldn't have done magic any way. Second of all, Mrs. Weasley and the Tonks weren't far away, and Eira was with you, and she can do spells. That charm and Portkey are there for a reason, so that if you find yourself in a situation like the one you were in tonight, you can get yourself back here to the Manor and into these wards where you're safe. You would have also been with your Mother and Remus who could have protected you if anything did happen here!" I yelled at him. He hung his head down again.

"I know that your friends are important to you, and that you care for them a great deal. But Harry, you have to keep yourself safe. You know your prophecy, you know what you alone have to do," I scolded him.

"Aunt Winnie, it's just...it's not fair. I just want to be like everyone else..." he told me quietly. My anger started to abate.

"I am sorry that it isn't fair, and that it has cut your childhood short, but you cannot afford childish behavior. Tonight was replete with it," I continued. "Your parents, your uncles and I and countless others are more than willing to lay down our lives to help keep you safe, because we know what you have to do; but you've got to do your part as well," I explained to him, calming down more.

"Harry, you can't be reckless. You can't abuse the Map and the Cloak your father gave you," I said, my voice and my face softening. "We knew how much you bent the rules last year, but it's just not safe for you," I continued. "You've got to do a better job of keeping yourself safe and strong. Remus won't be on campus this year to keep an eye on you. You're old enough to start taking responsibility," I told him, putting my hands on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you before, but Harry, you've got to understand how serious all of this is. Now, tomorrow we are going to have a family meeting, and I am sure that your Dad and your Uncles will have more to say about this. Tell me that you will listen, and take what they have to say to heart. We are only trying to keep you safe," I told him, and he finally looked at me, his eyes full of understanding of the disappointment that I felt.

"Go on, go inside and get yourself some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning," I told him and he walked back toward the front door of the Manor. I stood in the dark for a minute more. I could feel Sirius approach, even though I could barely hear him.

"You alright out here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Yes, dressed down Harry pretty well, but he'll recover. The scene tonight was...hard," I told him, taking a deep breath. I didn't want to get into it any further with him, not right now.

"I know, love. I know," he whispered. "Lilyan is asleep in her crib upstairs in Emma's room and Ethan is in Evan's room. Your sister fell asleep in a guest room, and the Weasleys and the Tonks have all gone back to their homes. Tomorrow we can sort out the rest of the supplies and get things back to their rightful owners. Let's just stay here for the night, and deal with all of this in the morning. Come on, love. Let's go up to bed," I felt tears of exhaustion and relief leave my eyes and I turned and held myself close to Sirius. We walked back to the house, and after quickly saying goodnight to James and Remus who were awake in the Sitting Room, we went up to the room we had shared so many nights here, and we were quickly asleep.

**Sirius POV:**

James, Lily, Remus, Anwen, Harry and I were all sitting around the table in the Library the next morning. We had eaten breakfast, and Eira was watching the little kids. _Her last full day in England, and she's babysitting. Poor kid. We'll take her out to dinner tonight, maybe take her into the city and let her buy anything that she wants for her tour this fall._ James had laid into Harry about his actions last night, and I think with the disappointment in all of our eyes, he got the idea.

"I've already been in to see Dumbledore," Remus started telling him. "In addition to your classes this year, you are going to be continuing your studies with us. Two nights a week you will be taken to either Professor Dumbledore's or Professor McGonagall's office, and whoever is working with you will floo in," he continued. "I'll work out a schedule for you. Additionally, your new defense professor will be working on defensive spells with you," he ended. Harry actually looked excited about this.

"You know who the new Defense Professor is?" Harry asked, hoping to get a scoop.

"I do, and you'll find out on September 1st," Remus said.

"Alright, if there is nothing else we need to discuss," James started.

"Dad, I have something to tell you," he said, sounding somehow ashamed. "Saturday night, or maybe it was Sunday morning, I woke up...with my scar hurting," he told us.

"Harry, why didn't you tell us this sooner. Has it been hurting at all this last year?" Lily asked her son, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No. It only hurt when he was nearby. I think I dreamed about him, Voldemort, just before I work up with it hurting," he said quietly. His mother started rubbing his back, trying to soothe him.

"Alright, why don't you tell us everything that you can remember. Start at the beginning," James prompted him. Both Remus and Anwen grabbed parchment from the middle of the table, and they started taking notes. I closed my eyes to try and picture what he was saying.

"We were in a house, a great big house, but it wasn't someplace that I had ever been, and it was in pretty bad shape..." he started. The dream included Voldemort, and from the description, it sounded much like the thing that Anwen had seen fleeing the castle. Wormtail was there, and someone else that Harry didn't recognize. Harry did a good job describing things, the room, the people, even the huge snake that slithered in. Wormtail was told that he needed to "milk the snake". Remus immediately made a note to find potions that required snake venom as part of their composition. Apparently, Voldemort and the others wanted Harry, needed Harry. Again, Remus started taking notes. Then Harry described how an old Muggle stumbled in, and then he was killed. Voldemort did the killing curse. _Poor kid, he didn't need to see that, even if it was only in what Harry suspected was a dream. I didn't think that any of the rest of us thought it was._

"My poor boy, I am so sorry that you had to see that," his mother said, taking him in her arms. After she had hugged and kissed him, she told him to go out and play with Eira and his siblings. Harry seemed quite excited about that. _We definitely need to do something for Eira tonight, she's gonna put up with Harry fawning over her for a while longer. _Once he was out of the room, we sealed it and got started.

"I'll contact Dumbledore immediately and let him know what we found out today. We'll see what he thinks, but that wasn't a dream, it was a vision," James said. We all nodded.

"I'll start researching potions that would require snake venom. Nothing comes to mind, I might need to look at some of the more questionable books in your library," Remus, said, looking at Anwen and me. She nodded at him.

"I'll go through the logs and see what other Death Eaters might be out of Azkaban, or who got off in the first place. Might give us a clue what to go on," my wife said.

"I'll start looking into ways to help block his mind. In the long run, he'll need to learn Occlumency, but there may be things that we can do in the mean time to help," I said.

We continued talking a while longer, and then agreed that we would meet after the start of school. Anwen clearly knew something about what was going on at Hogwarts this year, but she couldn't say anything, not just yet. We bade them goodbye and headed home to change clothes, and then we took Eira and the kids out for one last day in London before she would leave to meet her classmates in Greece.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hello again, hope that you like this chapter; starts with one of my favorite things -- Sirius in a bathtub (and in human form, not dog, wet dog is not fun). Song for this chapter is "Love Is Blindness" by U2. Again, thanks so much for reading and for those who review. I love them! I don't own any of this, and no copyright infringement is intended. Mutt**

**Chapter 23:**

**What did he get himself into now?**

**Anwen POV:**

"So, what is you're plan for the rest of the day, love?" Sirius asked me. We were in the tub in our little flat in Monaco. Sirius was leaning against the end of the tub and I was nestled between his legs. My back was against his chest and the rest of our bodies were wound up in each other. I was so happy that I had expanded the tub. "Can't we just stay here?" he asked me.

"No, we'd get all pruney skinned." I teased him, lifting a hand to kiss the tips of his fingers where the skin was already wrinkling. "Anyway, I want to go out tonight, I have a new dress to wear. We can go to the casino and have dinner and dance and you can even go and do a little gambling," I suggested. He was running his hands through my hair that he had just washed.

"That's why we're here, so you can watch me lose my money?" he asked, and I shook my head against him.

"No. We're here because we haven't been alone, really alone, in months. Anyway, James wanted to take Lily to France for the weekend, so we arranged a trade." Evan and Emma had spent the weekend with us two weeks ago. This weekend, Ethan and Lilyan were staying with the Potters. Sirius shifted his hands and they slid down my body and I moaned in pleasure.

"You sure you want to leave?" he teased me.

"I think so. I want a night out with my devastatingly handsome husband. Anyway, we have all day tomorrow and until 3 on Sunday before we have to go back. There will be," I stopped, my breath catching again at what my husband was doing to me. "...more than enough time for that, I promise," I whispered at him.

"Well then, what time to we need to be leaving then?" He asked me. I rolled over so that I could face him. I knotted one hand in his wet hair and let the other one drift down his chest.

"We've got hours darling," I moaned in his ear as I started kissing down his jaw line.

"Good," he said, one hand resting on the small of my back, the other caressing my breast. "I plan on enjoying this," he told me, before his lips met mine.

He looked so handsome, sitting there in his black suit and gray shirt. He had grown back a small beard, just along his chin in the last few months, but he still looked so amazingly beautiful to me. His hair fell to just below his collar, but he had pulled some of it back out of his face. The hair near his temples had begun to gray, making him look even more distinguished. I could have just sat here, staring at him all night. His eyes met mine, and I felt my heart flutter.

"Winnie love, is there something wrong with your dinner?" he asked me, and I was awakened from my daydream. I looked down that the plate of steamed mussels and vegetables and shook my head.

"Oh, um, no, it's just fine," I told him, "I was just thinking about you, kind of got lost in thought," I said, knowing I was blushing.

"I knew that, I could feel what you were thinking about," he said with a sly smile. I loved the way that it felt to be bound to him. "More wine, love?" he asked, lifting the bottle from the table. My glass was still mostly full, so I shook my head at him, and he refilled his glass.

"So, more roulette, or are we going dancing when we're done?" I asked him. I scooped out a mussel and brought it to my mouth. He had actually been on a winning streak before we cashed out to make our reservations for dinner.

"I think I'll quit while I'm ahead for a change," he told me, taking a bite of his quite rare prime rib. It made my stomach turn. _He eats more hunks of meat than anyone I ever met, well, except for maybe Remus. I wonder if it's a dog/wolf thing?_ "Anyway, you look stunning tonight, and I want to show you off. Maybe they'll even play a tango," he said, taking my hand in his. I did love the dress that I was wearing. It was a long red satin sheath dress with a black organza overlay. The overlay was covered in black crystal flowers that shimmered in the candlelight from the table. I had found an antique black lace shawl and dangerously high black heels to wear with it. _For a mother of two, I looked pretty darn good. _I was wearing my wedding necklace and a pair of ruby earrings. I had my charm bracelet on as well. It had over fifty charms now, and I had to put a spell on it to keep it from snagging my dress.

"Thank you darling, I love to look pretty for you," I said. Then he surprised me as he slid a box across the table at me. I took it and looked up at him. He urged me on, and I lifted the lid on the small black velvet box and I was stunned at what I saw there. It was a ring, a beautiful ring that looked like floral vines made out of platinum. There were four small flowers on the vines with a stone in the center of each of them , I recognized a diamond as well as the Amethyst, but I didn't know the others. I looked up at Sirius.

"It's a family ring, love, they're a tradition in my family. I saw several of them in the vault." he told me, taking it from the box and slipping it onto the middle finger of my left hand, right next to my wedding band. "The topaz is for my birthday, the diamond is for yours," he said touching each of them. They were nestled close to each other in the middle of the ring. "This here is for Lilyan," he said pointing to the beautiful purple stone, "and this one here, the Aquamarine is for Ethan. When we have more children, I'll add to it," he told me quietly. Tears were falling down my cheeks. "I wanted to do something for you, to let you know what a wonderful mother you are, and I love the family that we've made. I need you Anwen, I love you so," he told me quietly. I couldn't speak, I just got up and walked over to him, and leaned down and took his face in my hands and kissed him. He stood and led me to the dance floor, and it was wonderful to be wrapped up in my husbands arms.

We danced a few dances, and then sat back down to finish our dinners. They had gotten cold while we were dancing, so I discretely waved my hand over the plates to warm our food back up. We shared an amazing flourless chocolate cake for dessert, and finished off the bottle of wine. The casino was only blocks from our flat, so we were walking back home, stopping often to kiss each other gently. It was while we were walking home that I realized my husband was drunk, not a lot, but enough to make him quite funny. I took off his jacket and loosened his belt. He kicked off his shoes and socks and I slipped the dress from my shoulders and laid it across the chair in our bedroom. Sirius looked at me, and his desire was so strong, I nearly lost my balance from it. I slid my feet out of my shoes and walked over to him.

"You," he said kissing my shoulder, "are," as he went to kiss the other, "breathtaking," he finished by kissing the hollow of my throat. My breath was ragged and I was so overwhelmed with everything he was feeling. "And those stockings, those we are keeping," he said with a familiar glint in his eyes. _ I knew that when I bought them._

"You mean, you like the thigh high, lace up stockings? Really? Never would have expected that," I said sarcastically. He picked me up and carried me over and laid me on the bed.

"Most definitely my love," he said as he grasped the top of the right one with his teeth and pulled it down to my ankle.

A week later, it was Halloween and we were getting the kids ready to take them up to Hogsmeade to visit Albus and Minerva. My mother had once again made Halloween costumes for both of our little ones. I hadn't let Sirius see them yet. I was in the bedroom getting the children dressed. Ethan was toddling around the sitting area when I patronused him to come and see his children. Lilyan was lying on the bed behind me, so that he couldn't see her when he first came into the room.

"Alright, let's see what these little ones look like," he said, sounding excited. Ethan saw his Daddy and ran over to him, knocking his little hat off in the process. "Oh my goodness, what a scary pirate," he said as he pretended to let Ethan tackle him. Ethan jumped on his father's chest and started to tickle him. "A tickle pirate? What am I going to do? Where did my little Ethan go?" he teased his son. Ethan stopped and took Sirius' face between his hands.

"Right here, Daddy." he said in his staccato sort of speech. Sirius picked him up and threw him in the air. The costume was great, with his little boots and the poofy striped shirt and a tiny pirate hat. She and Da even got him a little stuffed parrot to go with the costume.

"Yes you are, my little man. Now, where is your little sister?" he asked, knowing full well that she was on the bed with me.

"Up with Mummy," the toddler told him matter of factly. Sirius came over and gave me a hand so that I could stand up.

"Ma said that there was only one costume that would be right for her," I said. "She is and always will be Daddy's little..."

"...princess," he finished, picking her up. Her costume was made of the most beautiful sparkling pink material that would shimmer in the light. She had even attached a tiny tiara to the top of a bonnet so that the princess had a crown. Sirius picked her up and brought her little face close to his. She giggled and swatted at his nose. "Hello my beautiful girl," he cooed before he kissed her forehead.

"Go, Mummy, Go," Ethan said, grabbing my hand. He knew that we were going to see his friends and most importantly, his godfather. Ethan and Albus had quite a bond, and they both looked forward to seeing each other. I hadn't told him yet that Molly and Arthur would be at Hogwarts or when we were at dinner tonight that we'd see Uncle Remus and Tonks.

We made our way downstairs, and flooed to Minerva's quarters. Lily, James and their kids were already there. She of course gushed over the kids, and gave Ethan far too much candy. She walked with us to the Headmaster's quarters, where Evan was thrilled to be able to whisper the password – 'Gummy Bears" – to the gargoyle there. Molly and Arthur, as well as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were waiting there as well. It melted my heart as Ethan ran over to his godfather and threw his little arms around him.

"Hi my Dumbwy," he said as he gave Albus a kiss.

"Hello Ethan. How are you today?" he asked the toddler, and then seemed to understand what Ethan told him, even though he spoke quickly and it sounded mostly like gibberish that came out. I had tried to stop Ethan's nickname when he started using it a few weeks before, but Albus insisted that he loved it and that it should continue. Molly immediately took Lilyan from me, and Arthur took Emma. Lily and I just looked at each other, realizing that we had both just lost our daughters.

We stayed for close to an hour. The teens fussed over the kids and their costumes. Emma was dressed as a fairy, and Evan had dressed as a Gryffindor Quidditch player, including wearing his big brother's jersey. I wasn't sure if Harry was impressed or embarrassed by the adoration his little brother had for him.

Harry and Ginny had gifts for the kids, I assumed that it was by owl post, hoping that Harry hadn't snuck out into Hogsmeade to go shopping. Before we left, I gave all four of them a tin of homemade biscuits and marshmallows and they were very excited. Ron dug into his right away, much to the dismay of his mother. I also, very discretely, left a tin behind on Albus' desk.

When we were outside the castle, Sirius took the stroller from the diaper bag and returned it to it's normal size so that Lilyan could take a nap in it. James had done the same for Emma. The boys had their little plastic pumpkin baskets, so that they could do their "Trick-Or-Treating" while we were in the Wizarding village. People made a huge fuss over them, and they ended up with more candy that I knew either of them should ever be eating.

Sirius slipped away, and returned with a large box from Honeydukes. I was sure that it was full of Raspberry creams and Dark Chocolate Caramels, and just smiled as he slipped it into the basket on the bottom of the stroller. _Because we don't have enough chocolate already?_ Remus joined us mid afternoon, bringing the boys little Quidditch gloves he had gotten them and pretty dolls for the girls. He told us that they were from both him and Tonks because, "I knew they'd have enough candy." Lily and I thanked him for his forethought.

Just before dusk, Tonks joined us and we enjoyed a leisurely dinner. Evan surprised her by calling her Aunt Tonks at dinner. She actually had tears in her eyes, and Remus put an arm around her. It was nice to see such a public display of his affection. Hogsmeade tended to be quiet when the students weren't there, and a party as large as ours was something that Madame Rosmerta could enjoy. She even made special desserts for us all, little cakes that looked like they had cobwebs on them, with enchanted sugar spiders.

"Do you know how things are going up at school this year?" Remus asked me. I got the feeling that he missed teaching, no matter how much he might enjoy his work with Lily.

"I think it's good, although I have to tell you, some of Alastor's teaching methods are, well, unconventional. He hasn't returned my letters though," I told him, taking a sip of my tea. "I guess if he makes the kids learn, who am I to say?" I replied. We started talking about the rather odd instances that we'd heard about from his classes.

We were finishing up, and James and Sirius were once again each trying to pay the full bill, when Fawkes landed in the middle of the table, I looked at the bird and listened as he told me what had happened tonight. _Darn it, can't that boy keep himself out of trouble? _ I exhaled and then looked at my husband.

"Um, Sirius take the kids home. I don't know when I'll be there. Albus needs me," I said rising. I waved my hands over myself and immediately my official work robes were on me.

"There's a legal problem, up at school?" he responded, dumbfounded. I nodded at him, and then leaned down to kiss him, "I'll tell you everything at home, but it involves Harry," I whispered in his ear before I quickly kissed him.

"James, he asked if you could come too, something about a curse he needs broken. Is it okay Lily? One of us needs to take the kids home, so Sirius can't come with me," I asked, hoping that this would be a plausible excuse.

"Of course," she said, quickly kissing her husband.

"We're supposed to go back with Fawkes. Have you ever flashed before?" I asked him, and he shook his head no. "This is something then. I did it once with Albus, years ago, and I have never forgotten it." I took a deep breath, "Fawkes," I called and he came to hover over us. "Grab onto his tail, and..." we must have both grabbed on, because I saw the flames, and then we were in a room that I had never seen before. Albus was standing near us.

"That was quick," he said. I explained that we were together in Hogsmeade, eating dinner. I looked at James, and he still seemed a little surprised by the whole experience.

"Dad," we heard Harry, and as James hugged his son I looked at Albus. "What has he gotten himself into now?" I asked.

**Sirius POV:**

We'd been home for a hours, I'd gotten the kids changed for bed, read and tucked in Ethan and given Lilyan her bottle and rocked her to sleep in her room. Once she was asleep, I went down to my office to review some warding plans for a job we were doing the next week. I was working, might have even dozed off, but was roused when I heard Lilyan awaken for another bottle. I Summoned the bottle from the kitchen and went to her room. I settled down in the rocker and began to feed her. We had turned what was once my brother's room into Lilyan's bedroom. It was painted pink and we had hired Mr. Silverman to paint a mural on her wall as well. It had an enchanted forest painted on it, with blooming flowers and fairies and a unicorn that would come in and out of the scene. I watched as a hydrangea bloomed as I rocked her._ She feels so perfect in my arms, my sweet little princess. _ She had fallen back asleep, and I was transfixed by her little face, peeking out from all of her black curls.

"You know, if she wasn't my little girl, I'd be jealous of the way that you're looking at her," I heard my wife say while she was standing in the doorway. "You used to only look at me like that," she added, walking into the room.

"I will always look at you like that, but love, isn't she perfect?" I asked her, still amazed by Lilyan.

"Yes she is, how about if you put her to bed so that we can go and talk," she said with a little giggle. I gently kissed my little girl's head, and laid her down in the crib. I pulled her little pink quilt up over her and put the doll that Remus and Tonks had given her in the corner of her crib. Before I left, ran my hand over her lullaby box, and it started playing my wife's lovely voice. _This wandless magic thing is getting better. Not as good as Winnie, but I am better at it. _

"I think that you just like hearing me sing," she said, shaking her head at me. We slipped from the room and Anwen set the charm, to let us know if she awoke. We made it halfway down the stairs to our room and Anwen looked at me. "Where are those chocolates, I need a few," she told me, and I knew that she would have a story to tell.

"They're in our room, love," I told her as we entered the master bedroom suite. "What happened?"

"Your godson has somehow gotten himself into the Triwizard Championship," she said, kicking her shoes off into the closet and removing her robes and hanging them up.

"HE WHAT!" I yelled. I watched Anwen put a silencing charm on the room. "HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? ALBUS ASSURED US THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THAT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER. YOU TOLD ME THAT IT WAS LIMITED TO THOSE WHO WERE OF AGE!" I was livid.

"If you would stop yelling at me, I am more than willing to tell you," Anwen said, rubbing her head again. _I shouldn't be taking this out on her, it wasn't her fault._ She came back toward the bed and climbed up on it, leaning back against the pillows. I climbed up across from her and waited for her to continue. "I'm not sure how it happened, but when the champions' names came out, Harry's came with them. It was chaos when we got there. James was yelling at Harry. The headmaster from Durmstrang and the headmistress from Beauxbatons were yelling at anyone who would listen. Bagman and Crouch were useless, and Snape was his usual cheery self. Albus wanted me to check the Goblet, make sure that it hadn't been tampered with. I didn't see anything, but as we both know, my visualization skills have been a little on the unpredictable side lately," she continued. I knew that she was right, her 'magical sight' as she had taken to calling it, had been frustrating her lately. It was like things were out of focus, and she couldn't quite make out auras the way that she once did.

"Anyway, I couldn't see anything with the cup, or any residue on the paper that came out with Harry's name on it. He sent all of the champions off to bed, and the other heads of the competing schools left, as did the Ministry officials," she choked out the last words, I knew that she didn't think either Bagman or Crouch were particularly competent, but had instead gotten their jobs because of their relationships with Fudge. _Yet another example of his fine leadership_, I scoffed in my head.

"When they were gone, the only people remaining in the room were Albus, Minerva, Severus, James and I. Albus actually asked me if I had edited an escape clause into the contract." Anwen had been the one who had written the final magical contract for the event, with the terms that had been agreed upon by the heads of the schools, as well as the aforementioned Ministry officials. It was not common knowledge that she had been the authoress. In fact, outside of the family, Albus and Amelia were probably the only ones who were aware.

"I hadn't, of course, because no one had ever anticipated that we needed one. And submission of the name served as the binding of the contract. The punishment for breaking the contract is brutal – it involves the loss of your wand as well as your eyesight – I didn't create those terms, they are apparently inherent to the competition. Anyway, I confirmed that, which wasn't what Albus was hoping to hear," she told me quietly.

"Of course, when this comes out, James and Severus start bickering with each other, Severus goading James about what a problem Harry is, 'always getting into trouble'; James picking on Severus for being an 'irritating, nasty git'. Finally, I had had enough with the two of them, and I issued them an ultimatum," she said to me with a crooked half smile on her face. _What had she done now?_

"I'll bite, what did you say to them?" I asked, anxious to hear the answer.

"I challenged them to whip it out and see who could piss farther," she said point blank.

"You didn't?" I asked her. She nodded at me. "What happened?" I had never been so proud to be married to her.

"Minerva blushed and Albus choked on the lemon drop he was sucking on. The men both looked at me like I was from another planet. I finally told them: 'She married you,' I said to James, 'but she knew him longer'. Then I turned to Severus and said, 'I'm sorry that you don't like who she married, but it really is time to get over it'. Everyone in the room stood there looking at me. Then Albus coughed something out about not helping the problem any, and everyone focused again," she concluded.

"Well, I don't think that anyone ever thought to...wow you really suggested a pissing contest?" I still couldn't get over her, um, moxie.

"Look, Snape's still a pain in the ass, but this isn't really about him, now is it. This is about Harry and how the heck his name ended up in that cup. I don't like it Sirius, something is very, very wrong. Someone set him up, I just don't know who," she said, putting her head in her hands. I crawled over next to her.

"So, he'll have to compete?" I figured I knew the answer, but I really did want to hear her take on it.

"Yes. Before we left, we set up the training schedule for Harry. You're going to work with him on charms and dueling. Remus is going to do advanced work on dark creatures – he's bound to come up against some of them during all of this. His Mum is going to work with him on healing potions and Herbology. I'm going to help him with advanced Transfiguration, he might need to use what's around him to his advantage. His father is going to start teaching him curse breaking and work on his physical training," she explained. It sounded like we had everything covered.

"Who do you think is behind this?" I asked, almost afraid of her answer.

"After what Harry said about that dream, about Voldemort wanting him for something, I would say that this is somehow related. He had to have gotten someone into the castle, they might still be there," she told me. She sounded so sad and worried.

"Well, at least Alastor is there. He should be able to keep an eye on Harry," I suggested. She nodded slightly.

"The strange thing is, I didn't see him at all while I was there today. He hasn't returned any of my letters either. I knew he was upset when I went to work for Amelia, but it wasn't my choice. You don't think he's angry at me for being fired, do you?" she asked.

"Anwen, there is no way he's angry at you. Angry at Fudge and Scrimegeour, sure, but not at you," I assured her. "Look, he's always been, well, odd, eccentric. Just, don't worry about it," I told her as I kissed her temple. "It's late, why don't we settle in for bed. I'm sure that there are things that we need to work on in the morning," I told her, slipping from the bed so that I could get undressed. She nodded, as she unbuttoned her blouse.

"Family meeting, 9am at Potter Manor. Your first lesson with Harry will be on Tuesday night," she said with a yawn. I watched as my old Quidditch jersey flew out from the bathroom and she gracefully caught it. I climbed back into bed and wrapped my arms around my wife.

"You know, everything will be alright. He's a smart boy, and I think that he learned his lesson this summer. He's bound to be more careful now," I told her, and I could feel her nod against me. _ Now all you have to do is believe that too, Sirius._ I told myself, knowing that I wasn't sure it was true this time.

**Anwen POV:**

"Did you read that awful article?" Lily yelled. We were having another family meeting. It had been a regular occurrence, after any of us got any information, or after we had been up to Hogwarts for Harry's lessons, we would meet. Remus was still not having any luck researching the use for snake venom nor what good Harry's blood would do him. He had been through all of the questionable books in both our library and Albus'; Sirius was going to take him to the Black Family Vault to see if any of the books we had locked up in it would have the answers we sought.

"We all saw it Lil, and we all know that she's a liar. What I can't believe is that they printed that rubbish," James said, trying to calm her down. "At least she said nice things about Hermione. Do you really think that they're dating?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"No, Hermione only has eyes for Ron," she told him. I looked around the table, and all of the guys had the most gobsmaked look on their faces.

"None of you figured that out from watching them this summer?" I asked, and they all shook their heads no. "Do you really think all that bickering is for naught? It's their strange form of foreplay, even if they don't know it yet. Actually reminds me of the two of you," I waved my finger between James and Lily, teasing them about the years before they actually started dating.

"Ha, ha, funny Winnie. At least I didn't call him my best friend," Lily teased me back. Sirius simply took my hand and kissed it.

"Anyway, we can't do anything about what that stupid Skeeter woman puts in the paper. Fudge likes her, so I can't even have King lean on her. He's signed some new, 'freedom of the press' initiative," I told them, not really masking my disgust at the newest bit of executive legislation that Fudge forced through. "It was tacked on the end of a orphans aid bill that Amelia and I had already reviewed before it went before the full Wizengamot," I told them.

"I remember the bill, it passed resoundingly," James said. I nodded at him. The thing only had five votes against, because face it, who didn't want to see children orphaned by magical accidents taken care of.

"We had approved the bill not an hour before the full assembly. When we saw that in that time he had tacked the darn thing on, Amelia blew a gasket. He didn't even give us time to read it before putting it to a vote, knowing full well that it would pass. Trust me, it will be the last time that happens. Albus has stated that if we need to read each document out loud, nothing will be voted on until we have read it all," I assured them.

"Great, so she can print these slanderous articles about Harry, and there's nothing we can do?" Lily questioned.

"For the moment, no. We just need to remind Harry to stay away from the press," I told her. "Now, I did get an interesting bit of information from Arthur yesterday. He made sure that he came by to tell me that Charlie is coming back into the country in a week," I said, letting the information percolate in their minds. Remus was the first one who caught on to it.

"Dragons, the first challenge is going to be dragons," he said with disgust.

"That's the same conclusion that I came up with," I said. Lily's face broke out into horror and James put a protective arm around her. _This wasn't something that we could teach Harry, this would be on his bravery alone._

"Maybe he could charm it," Sirius said. We started coming up with possible plans of ways that Harry could beat a dragon, but after an hour, nothing seemed to make a whole lot of sense. He couldn't learn complex charms in just a week, and he couldn't carry anything in with him, except for his wand.

**Sirius POV:**

"I knew he was a natural flyer, but, that was amazing," I gushed. Harry had been able to summon his Firebolt and after some seriously scary flying, he was able to get the prize – a golden egg – away from one very pissed off Hungarian Horntail.

"That was the most terrifying thing that I have ever had to witness. I swear that my heart was going to stop at least 10 times," Lily scolded me. She was right, there were a couple of times that I was worried, and then, when he swooped down and got the egg, well, it was amazing.

"I think that Krum was even jealous of how well he flew," James said proudly. Harry had taken off to go and get his arm cleaned up, the tail of the Horntail had swiped him, but it didn't stop him. We were awaiting his scores in the stands with the teaching staff of Hogwarts. The Diggorys were also here, and Cedric had done well, but Harry had done better.

"I never thought I'd say this, but that was something that made Quidditch look safe," Lily said begrudgingly. Anwen returned from the loo, looking a little green. She had left as soon as Harry had his hands on the egg. She came to sit down next to me, and I put an arm around her.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"I'm fine," she said nodding. "I think that it's just motion sickness or something from watching Harry fly," she told me. "Have they announced the score?" she asked feebly.

"Not yet. Are we going to stay and celebrate?" I asked her. I most definitely wanted to.

"You can if you want, but I'd like to get home to feed the kids dinner," she told me. Then she leaned in and whispered, "Tonks is sitting them, I don't want her to feed them, Merlin alone knows what she'd give them," she said skeptically. She looked over to make sure that Remus hadn't heard her. Their relationship seemed to be going quite well. James and I had wondered aloud the other day if we needed to give him the "little wizard" talk again.

Just then the judges started releasing their scores, and as each one went up, it was obvious that Harry would be in the lead, until they got to the Headmaster from Durmstrang, he only gave Harry a 4. _Biased git._ I quickly did the math in my head, and we all realized that Harry had tied with Krum for first place. It was an excellent showing.

We made our way down to where the contestants were, just in time to see Ron and Harry finally putting aside the differences that had been plaguing them since Harry's name came out of the damned cup. After a few minutes, Harry wanted to be part of the celebration in his common room, so he bid us goodbye. We talked about going down to the Broomsticks for dinner, but instead decided that we would rather have the kids with us for our celebration, so James and Lily left for the Weasleys' to pick up Emma and Ethan and Remus returned home with us. We were going to order Pizza and just have a relaxing night at our home, with our family. _One down, two to go. Harry can indeed make it through this, can't he?_


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hi everyone, I am deeply thankful to my beta, My Ginevra, for getting this chapter done while he's feeling under the weather. Thank you Peter. Okay folks, winter of Harry's 4th year and that means the Yule Ball -- told through the eyes of the adults around him. Oh, and there really is a surprise here. Songs for this chapter: "Song for a Winter's Night" by Sarah MacLachlan and "Winter Skin" by Jars of Clay. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Don't own the rights, just the situations. Mutt**

**Chapter 24:**

**Winter Surprises**

**Anwen POV:**

"You're certain?" I asked her, needing reassurance.

"Completely. You can see them both there. They're strong too," she told me. I nodded at her. "You don't seem all that happy?"

"No, I am, it's just a little surprising, that's all. Well, now all I have to do is find a way to tell Sirius," I said and she nodded at me. "This is a Christmas present I wasn't expecting," I told her, and she smiled at me.

**Sirius POV:**

"Okay, let me get this straight; Harry wanted to go with a girl named Cho, but she went with Amos' son, Cedric. Ginny wanted to go with Harry, and Ron tried to set them up, but Ginny had already said that she would go with Neville. Harry and Ron ended up taking some set of twins that are in their year, even though Ron would have liked to have asked Hermione, and she has a date, but she hasn't told anyone who it is," Lily said. She and Anwen were trying to put together the Yule Ball dating scene based on what they had learned from their trips to the school and their letters with the kids.

"I think that's it. Should be interesting when they get to the Manor for New Year's. Can't wait to hear the stories from their evenings. Don't think anyone will be getting engaged," Anwen teased her best friend.

"Nor getting their first kiss from their true love," Lily teased back. They both looked at Tonks then said, "..or getting their boobs touched," and then all three of them broke out into laughter. James and I were looking at them, somewhat surprised, but poor Moony looked like he wanted to crawl under the sofa. "It wasn't me," he sort of squeaked out.

"This sounds like a story I need to hear," I said, but they all just shook their heads at me. It was the perfect Christmas Day. Everyone was at our house this year, we were up in the Sitting Room. The boys were playing with a train that Remus and Tonks had gotten Ethan. Emma was practicing her standing on the edge of the couch and Lilyan was bouncing in her little jumpy seat that Anwen' parents had sent. We would celebrate Christmas with the kids from Hogwarts when they arrived in two days for the rest of their holiday at the Manor.

"Well, I have a few more gifts to give out. First, this is for you James," Anwen said, handing him a large box. It was something that her sister had found in Egypt and Anwen had arranged for it to be purchased and sent over. James lifted the lid from the box, and then looked over at Anwen and me. We were sitting on the love seat. Anwen had nearly been bursting at the seams this morning, she was more excited about Christmas than Evan was; however, I could feel something else, just under the surface that she was working very hard to hide from me.

"This is, wow, how did you, wow.." James faltered out. He lifted the papyrus from the box and started flipping through the wound scroll. "Is it really an Egyptian curse chart?" Anwen smiled at him.

"It is. Eira saw it when she was there, and thought of the work that you and Sirius do. I transferred her the money and Bill Weasley helped her get it and send it back here. In the third column, there are ways to break curses put on people as well. I hate to think that we might need them, but, I guess we should know how," she told him. James started intently reading the scroll, but Emma, who was standing between him and Lily, started reaching for the paper, he decided to put it away. "Speaking of Weasley's, Eira is spending the holiday in Romania. I don't think Ma and Da were too happy with her, but she's of age," she told Lily and James, "but she's still my baby sister." I had seen the look on Charlie's face when he came to see her off for Egypt and Greece, he was quite taken with her and she was head over heels for him. I wasn't surprised that she chose to visit him rather than us, before returning to Canada to finish her final year of school.

"Oh, Remus, it's beautiful," we heard, and all of our attention was turned to Remus and Tonks who were sharing the oversized chair by the fire place. I had to admire the gusto with which my cousin went after him; especially when she was kissing him.

"Hey, feel like cluing the rest of us in here," Lily said and my cousin showed them a necklace with a butterfly inside a circle. The center of it was a diamond. _Good show there Moony, even knew her patronus._

"Ooh, it's so pretty," Anwen said. She had already given me my Christmas gift. With the help of Charlie she had a full length coat made of Ukrainian Iron Belly Dragonhide, to match my favorite boots. I still hadn't taken it off. She had done the charming on it, with James' help, to make it impervious to all but Unforgivable curses. I wanted to give her hers._ She will never be expecting this, I think that she'll like it. It's actually practical and cool._ I took the little bag off the back of the tree, and handed it to her. She looked at me puzzled, not sure what was in the velvet bag. I watched as she pulled on the drawstring and the key slipped out. She looked at me in disbelief.

"You bought a new car?" she asked, stumbling over the words.

"I bought you a new car, it's too hard to get the kids into the car seats in the back in your old Beamer, so I got you a new Rover. It has four doors, and this way it will be easier to get them in. I thought that we might want to take a vacation this summer," I told her. She didn't look happy at all, in fact, she was crying. "Love, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Oh, Sirius, it's not that I don't like it," she sobbed, "it's just that, oh here, open this," she told me, reaching under the tree for a gold square box with a dark green ribbon on it. I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid off and inside were two pairs of baby booties, one in pink and one in blue. I looked up at her face and she was still crying.

"I don't understand. Our kids are too big to wear these," I told her. I still didn't know why she was crying.

"They're not for Ethan and Lilyan," she sobbed again, "they're for these two," she told me, standing up and lifting her shirt, then waving her hand over herself. A spell must have lifted because it was obvious that she had a rather pronounced bump in her belly. "Can you take the car back? We won't all fit in it," she sobbed again. _Wait, we're having two more? She's pregnant with two babies, two more little ones in there? And she's upset about the car?_ My brain finally wrapped around what she was saying. I stood and picked her up and hugged her.

"Really? Two more babies? I love you," I kissed her and I heard the sounds of our family realizing what was going on. "When did this happen? How? How did I not know?" The questions poured out of me. I put her down and kissed her again, everyone else was clapping and offering us their congratulations, and we so scared Emma that she fell down and started crying. James picked her up and comforted her and I sat down, pulling Anwen into my lap and letting my hand rest on her belly.

"Well, I got pregnant in October, and if you don't know how it happened at this point, that would explain why we are going to have four children under the age of three," she teased me, tears still streaming from her eyes. "I found out a couple of weeks ago, but I suspected it for a while. When I started to show, I did a glamour on myself to hide it. I wanted to surprise you," she looked down at the floor. "Surprise!" she sort of cheered, throwing her arms in the air. "Even with a bigger car, we're still not going to have enough room, can we exchange it for something bigger?" she asked. _Why is she still worried about the darned car? We're having more babies!_

"Don't worry about the car, we can keep it and get another or I'll charm it, or whatever, I don't care about the car. When are you due?" Another thought crossed my mind, "Is it safe for you to be pregnant, after everything that happened in February?"

"My due date is July 12 and it's fine," she said nodding at me, " Healer Wickman and I already talked about it, and she isn't worried," she told me, and it calmed my mind. Our friends congratulated us and we talked about how Anwen was feeling this time. As we continued to talk, Anwen seemed to get happier about the babies, although I now understood what I was feeling from her, beyond her excitement. She was clearly apprehensive about being pregnant.

"And she's sure that you're having a boy and a girl, that's really rare in the Wizarding World," Tonks said, coming over to put her hand on Anwen's belly.

"Healer Wickman said the same thing. She thinks that it's because of my Muggle blood or something. Fraternal twins are not as rare among the non-magical," she said. We opened the rest of the gifts, and then shared in Christmas dinner, of which my wife ate none.

**Anwen POV:**

Our family had all left, and Ethan and Lilyan were in their rooms. Sirius had run down to the Sitting room to make sure that we had extinguished the fairy lights on the Christmas Tree, so I was alone in our room. I had removed the blouse that I was wearing that day, and stood there in my skirt and my bra. I hadn't looked at myself in weeks, not before I cast the glamour on myself. _How did I get into this situation? I mean really, four kids under three – are you crazy? It's not that I don't want more children, I do. But really, did we have to get pregnant now, with twins?_

I ran my hand over my belly, and realized that the only reason I fit in the skirt I was wearing was because of the elastic waist. I was going to need my maternity clothes soon, very soon. I hadn't heard Sirius come back in, but he was standing behind me, his arms around me, his hands resting on the bulge in my belly.

"Love, you seem...pensive about this," he said. I nodded at him. "Aren't you happy?" _Oh, he wasn't understanding me_, I felt so bad.

"No, darling, I'm happy, I'm just worried. I mean, we're going to have four kids, really close in age. And then, there is all of this stuff going on with Harry and Voldemort." I paused. "But, I'm happy. I am so very, very happy," I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. "I am having your babies, you're beautiful children," I told him, tears still streaming down my face. _Damned pregnancy hormones._

"Hey, no more tears, we're happy here," he said, picking me up and carrying me to our bed. "And they're sure, its a boy and a girl?" he said as he laid me down, and then climbed over me to get onto the bed. He pulled the skirt off of me, and lowered the waistband of my knickers so that he could touch and caress my whole belly. It was one of the things that I loved the most about being pregnant around Sirius, he loved to touch my ever–fattening body.

"Quite sure, darling. So, did Padfoot ever think he'd have this many pups?" I asked him, and his face got quite sober.

"Love, before I met you, I never thought I would have children. I thought fatherhood was what my father was, I had no idea that it could be like this, that I could be like this. Padfoot will love these little pups and I am so happy that we are having them," he told me. I was overwhelmed with how much love he was giving me. All of my fear ebbed away when I looked into his eyes, and through them, into his soul. I leaned over and pulled him to me, as our lips met, both of us filled with the wonder of the depths of our love.

"Really, you're having twins," Ginny squealed. The Hogwarts kids had arrived at the Manor this morning, and would be staying until the day after New Year's. Molly and Arthur had agreed that they could stay overnight at the Manor if they chose. Ginny and Hermione were thrilled at the prospect of sharing a room. They were sitting with Tonks and me at one end of the sitting room. Tonks was watching Emma, who had just dozed off on the floor. I was feeding Lilyan. Ron and Harry were with his Dad and Remus at the other side of the room. None of the adults could avoid seeing the glares that were begin shot across the room. "I hope that they're not like my brothers," she added.

"Well, one of them is a girl, so there is some hope," I told her. "but let's be honest, they have Sirius' genes in there. Mischief is bound to ensue," Remus heard me and looked across the room, cocking his eyebrow at me. _He's so funny when he's being protective of me, even if it's about my own husband._ I responded with a look that said, 'I know what I married honey, it's okay'. "So, how was the ball? Was Neville a good date?" I really hoped that she had enjoyed herself.

"Um, he was very nice, but," she said, clearly there was something to add. "he spent most of the night stepping on my feet. They are still killing me," she complained. I took pity on her.

"Slip your feet out of your trainers, let me see what I can do," I told her and she complied. I waved my hand over her stocking feet, and I could tell that it helped by the look on her face. "When I was dancing, my feet would get so banged up, it drove your Uncle Sirius crazy. He would make me sit down and heal them when I got home from practice. If they're still bothering you, there is a potion that I can give you for a foot soak that will do the trick." She nodded her head.

"All right, your turn, Miss Granger, who was your big mystery date," Tonks asked Hermione. She looked at us sheepishly, Ginny was bursting to tell us.

"I went with," she started and then paused, "Viktor Krum," she finished. My mouth fell open and I couldn't think of what to say.

"Wow, International Quidditch Star, huh? Well, kinda makes the boys at Hogwarts seem, well, dull after that," Tonks said. "So, how did he kiss?" I looked at her dumbfounded, except that Hermione turned a wonderful beet red. "I'll take that as a good. Alrighty there Hermione, stepped up your game," she finished.

"How come you didn't ask me how Neville kissed?" Ginny quired.

"Sweetie, you went with Neville. Even if he did kiss you, well, we didn't need you to tell us how he kissed," Tonks told her and we all giggled. They went on to tell us about the night, and what happened. Hermione told us about the tension between her and Ron. We both tried to explain to her that sometimes, if you wanted a boy, you might have to make the first move, but she wasn't interested in having things happen that way.

"If he likes me, then he can make the first move," she said resolutely. _You might be waiting a while there honey._ We heard the back door slam, and I knew that Sirius was in from playing outside with Ethan and Evan. I handed Lilyan over to Ginny, and tried to get up, but got stuck in the cushions of the couch, Tonks had to help me up. I checked on the mess that they had left in the mud room. Sure enough, both boys had simply taken their winter clothes off and strewn them all over the floor. Sirius was in the kitchen with Lily, helping her get some hot chocolate made, so I waved my hand and everything flew back to it's proper place to dry. I put my hand up to the brown wool pea coat that Sirius used when he was doing outside work, it was cold and dry. _Great, outside playing as a dog again. _I groaned to myself. His natural 'dog' odor was so much worse when he was recently transfigured back to human, and the smell was one of the worst at sending me running for the loo. I walked back into the kitchen, and he had already left.

"Lily, do you have any more of the Peppermint Potion, or do I need to floo home to get some?" I asked. She turned to look, taking pity on me.

"Still not feeling well?" she questioned, and then opened a cabinet and took out the familiar bottle.

"No, it's proactive. Sirius was out as Padfoot, and he will reek the rest of the day. Need to do this before I get anywhere near him. Even Blackie doesn't smell that bad," I told her and she laughed.

"Hey, we were sorry to hear about your old Molly," Lily told me, handing me the little vial and a spoon. Our beloved Border Collie had finally just gone to sleep one night and not woken up in the morning. Sirius had buried her in the back yard at Grimmauld. I took two teaspoons of the potion and gave the phial back to Lily.

"She was 14 years old, and she'd led a good life. Thankfully the kids are too little to understand. Honestly, I think that Sirius will miss her more than I will, but thanks for your condolences. Now, do you need help getting this stuff out there?" I asked her, and she nodded and between us, the trays with the cocoa and biscuits that I had baked were making their way into the sitting room. Lily went over to the girls' side, while I went to the guys.

"Look, I told you everything I know," Harry said, sounding exasperated. "The thing sounds like a Banshee, but it's not, trust me. I tried the anti-Banshee charm that Uncle Remus here taught me, and it was still screeching. The only help I got was that Cedric told me to take it for a bath," he added rolling his eyes. The guys each took a mug and then started helping themselves to the biscuits, with me standing there holding the tray. I finally cleared my throat and Sirius had enough sense to take the platter so that I could get my mug.

'Thank you," I told him sarcastically, and he leaned down and kissed me. _Okay, willing to forgive him if he's going to kiss me._ "Well, where is it? We can take it upstairs and submerge it right now and figure out what Cedric meant about a bath," I said. Harry just looked at me.

"I left it in my trunk at school, and we can't go back until term starts," he said, looking at the floor. _He's only 14, give him a break._

"Did you put the locking charm on your trunk?" I asked, hoping that perhaps he hadn't, and I'd be able to visualize it here.

"Aunt Winnie, I knew that you'd try to break into it, so yes, I did; and my wand is in my holster, and my charms are around my neck," he kept adding, clearly wanting to make me happy.

"Congratulations on finally following directions," I praised him and then continued. "Well, you're going to have to find a tub there, or brave the water out in the Black Lake, which is cold even in the heat of summer," I told him.

"Cedric gave me the password to the Prefects bathroom on the fifth floor, there's a tub in there. I'll just go when I get back to school and see what I can find then," he said. I nodded at him, appreciating that he seemed to have come up with a plan on his own.

"Ah, yes, the Prefects bathroom," Sirius said, a rather wicked smile coming across his face. Suddenly James and Remus were shaking their heads at him, "I remember it, Doris Tellington," he said, somehow fondly remembering something. I just stood there looking at him. _The idiot he was dating the fall of his 7__th__ year, while I was going out with Matthew? Do I even want to know?_ "Look if you ever want to have some fun underwater games, that is the place to do it," he told Harry. I just stood there and looked at him, and then turned and started walking away, tears were pricking my eyes again and I just didn't want him to hear me crying again. I heard someone give him a good strong slap.

"Even I could have figured out not to say that Uncle Sirius," Harry said, I tried to laugh, but my hormones were so out of whack, all I could do was cry.

**Harry POV:**

"Could you please tell me what all of the secrecy is about here, it's really cold," I yelled at them. Uncle Sirius and Aunt Anwen were on the Hogwarts grounds, and we were walking somewhere. I had put the darned egg in the water the other night, and found out that there were Mermaids in the Black Lake. I had gone home on Sunday for the joint birthday party for Emma and Lilyan, and when I told them what I had found out, Aunt Winnie got the most bizarre smile on her face, and told me that she would be able to help me, but it was a secret that I would need to keep. That's how I found myself walking across a frozen field with my godfather and his wife. They were smiling at each other, holding hands and generally making me sick. _Actually, Aunt Winnie is sort of waddling, so she looks kind of funny, but I remember from Mum being pregnant with Emma not to laugh at her walking like that._

"We'll tell you when we get there, just be patient kiddo," Uncle Sirius said. _I hate that nickname, I wish he would stop using it. It's worse than when Aunt Winnie calls me Little Man._

We finally got to the lake, and we stopped at the shore. They smiled at each other, and then Aunt Winnie turned to look at me.

"Okay, now for the secret. You know I'm Muggle born, right?" she asked and I nodded at her. "Harry, when I was eleven, and I first found out that I was a witch, Professor Dumbledore told me something else. You remember that I had a whole other life before I came to Hogwarts, right?" I nodded at her. _Of course I knew. She sang with the Opera and did ballet. I had gone to sleep as a little kid listening to her voice, and she taught me all about music and theater when I was a kid._ _Why does she think I'm an idiot or something? _"Well, when Dumbledore came to tell me about being magical and invite me to Hogwarts, he also told me that there are mermaids in the Black Lake," she told me. _Wait, she knew, why didn't she just tell me so I didn't have to work so hard trying to figure it out with the egg in the tub and Moaning Myrtle zooming all around the room?_

"Okay, so you knew about the Mermaids. How is that going to help me?" I asked her.

"Well, let me finish my story. When Professor Dumbledore came to take me to Diagon Alley to do my school shopping, he left me in Flourish and Blotts for a while, in the section with the books on Mermaids. I was quite precocious, and I remembered what he had told me, so I decided to do a little research. It turns out that they can be summoned with a series of sung notes. The problem is that most humans can't sing the notes, but, I can," she told me. _Aunt Winnie can sing to Merpeople, really? Whoa._

"The first night that I was here, I wasn't sure that I wanted to stay at Hogwarts. I was crying, alone in the common room, and Uncle Sirius here came down to be alone too. He comforted me, and convinced me that I needed to stay," she said, looking up at my godfather and touching his face. _I hate when they are like this with each other. I mean, it's bad enough that I figured out what it means that they have this many kids so close together – thank you Dad for that little talk over the summer – but I don't need to see that they want to find a broom closet every time they're near one another. Oh yuck, now he's kissing her. Come on you two, you're old. Oh good, they're done._

"That night, we snuck out of the castle and came down here," Uncle Sirius started talking, still staring at Aunt Winnie. "And Anwen summoned the Merpeople and sang with them. It was amazing. I was in complete awe of her. Your Mum and Dad don't even know that she can do this," he told me, looking at me with a very serious look on his face. _Ha, that's funny Sirius' serious look. Oh, wait, he wants me to pay attention. I guess I should listen and not make jokes in my head. _"Would you like to meet the inhabitants of the Black Lake?" Sirius asked me. I nodded at him.

Aunt Winnie stood at the edge of the lake and started to sing. I had heard her voice all of my life, but this was even better than my lullaby box. After a few minutes, something broke the surface of the lake, and Uncle Sirius looked at me with his goofy grin, and then wrapped his arms around my aunt.

Aunt Winnie introduced me to the merpeople and taught me some passages to communicate with them in Mermish. _I cannot sing at all like her, but they seemed to be willing to listen to me anyway. Good to know that I can get help if I need it. Now I just need to figure out how I am going to breathe underwater for an hour. Mum said she had an idea how to make that work. _When we were done, we were walking back to the castle. There was something that I needed to tell them. _If they can trust me with this secret, I guess I need to trust them with mine._

"Hey, the other night, when I was coming back from the bathroom with the egg thing, I was under the cloak and I got caught in the stupid quicksand step on the staircase." I knew it was there and I still stepped in it. _Dumb me. I got distracted with stupid Snape. _Uncle Sirius nodded at me, I guessed that he knew which one I was talking about. "Anyway, I had the map, and there was some weird stuff on it," I explained about running into Snape, seeing Barty Crouch on the map in Snape's office, and then having Moody see me under the cloak. They were both nodding their heads at me.

"Anyway, Moody took the map from me, and he hasn't given it back to me. Do you think that he forgot that he has it? Should I ask him for it?" I asked them. My godfather looked confused, but Aunt Winnie looked worried.

"Really, he took the Marauder's Map from you?" she asked me. The happiness that was in her face when she was singing was gone, and I watched her fire a patronus off, but I didn't know where it was going. Aunt Winnie got her thinking face going, and I guess that there was something to be worried about.

"Yup. I don't know, he's kinda weird," I told them and they nodded at me. Uncle Sirius changed the subject to Quidditch, and we were talking about the chances of the different teams of making the playoffs. He was still a Puddlemere fan, Dad and I are both Portree fans. The one thing we agreed on, the Cannons were never going to make the playoffs.

**Anwen POV:**

"Well, now there are three of you that know my secret. Harry promised that he wouldn't tell anyone, and I believe him," I told Albus. We were in his office after we had walked back to the castle with Harry. Ethan had been spending some time with his 'Dumbwy", and was now napping on the settee in the Headmaster's office. Lilyan was down with Ginny and Minerva in her office.

"Yes, I believe that he will keep your secret. On the day of the task though, I must ask that you remain in the castle. I wouldn't want you accidentally communicating with them to somehow influence the competition," my mentor asked me, and I nodded in agreement.

"I had already spoken with Minerva about staying in her office anyway. I can cast the charms to watch what's going on without standing in the cold. It's better for the kids anyway. I think that Lily will be watching from the warmth of the castle as well," I told him and he smiled at me. He handed me a cup of tea and I settled down on the settee with Ethan, Sirius was sitting in a wingback chair near me, and Albus was at his desk.

"Did you complete that analysis that I had requested?" he asked me. I nodded at him, and held my hand out to summon the parchment that I had written for him from my office at home.

"Here, it's the best that I can do, but Fudge will find a way around it, I'm sure. There were safeguards written into the creation of the Minister of Magic position when the Ministry was founded. I doubted that we would ever be in a position of needing to consider having a Minister removed for anything short of gross incompetence. What Cornelius is doing always falls just short of the legal definition. Be careful Albus, he's clearly got someone very smart and well connected people close to him letting him know just how far he can go in bending laws," I told him. I didn't like it at all. Amelia and I had been working with Albus to find a way to remove Fudge from office before he could do any real damage to the Ministry or the position of Minister. We hadn't found any way yet.

"I will review what you have written and consider what you've said before I make any motions. Thank you for your time," he told me. I smiled at him. "I have something else I would like you to consider," he started and I looked at him intently. "I think that it's time for you to start developing the final skill that Perenelle saw in you. I know that it will be hard while you're pregnant, but I am afraid that we might need for you to be able to project yourself in the near future," he told me, his voice serious and hard.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked. I had never told him of the things that Perenelle had told Albus and me before her death. Some of them were sweet or funny, like the fact that Lily and I would have daughters who would be born close together and look like the other's twin. Others were disturbing, and told us far more about the future than we really wanted to know. One of her predictions concerned my untapped skills.

"Sirius, before Perenelle died, she investigated my magic. You already know that I can project my magic, over some rather impressive distances," I asked him, and he nodded at me and then turned himself in the chair so that he was looking at me full on. "Well, there is a related skill that she believed I could master. I hadn't started working on it because of the pregnancy and magical problems with Lilyan's birth. Sirius, I should be capable of doing a form of astral projection, actually sending a version of myself to another place," I told him quietly. It would require immense amounts of power to do so, and I would have to draw on him or someone nearby in order to do it. _I wouldn't tell either Albus or Sirius, but it actually scared me to think of that much magic coursing through me. _"If I learn to do it right, I will be able to do magic in that form, as well as communicate with people who are there," I explained. I didn't like the look of astonishment that was creeping across his face.

"Really, this is something that you could learn to do?" he asked, sounding very excited about it.

"We seem to think so," I said quietly. Sirius and Albus were both excited about the prospect, and they started discussing at length the benefits of my learning this particular form of magic. I was thankful when the twins woke up, and started kicking around inside of me. One of them decided that a foot to the bladder was fun, and I had the sudden urge to visit the loo. I excused myself and walked down the hall toward the facilities.

When I came out, I caught a glimpse of what I was sure was Alastor, moving quickly away from the part of the hall I was in. I called to him, but he kept walking. _That's odd, his magic looks all fuzzy._ The general sense of "out-of-focusness" that had been plaguing my vision had gone, and all seemed to have finally returned to normal. It was very strange that Alastor seemed wrong somehow. I shook it off, figuring that it had something to do with the great fits of accidental magic that the twins were able to perform already, and headed down to Minerva's office to pick up my daughter. By the time I returned to Albus' chambers, he had a stack of books on his desk for me, and a lesson schedule prepared so that I could work with him on my projection skills. I exhaled and realized that this was a battle I was unlikely to win. I also made a mental note to talk with Sirius about what I had seen in Alastor's magical aura.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Okay, hold onto your seats here folks, this chapter really moves; so much so that my beta did most of it in one night because he couldn't put it down. Song for this chapter is "Night on Bald Mountain", what else would you use when you come face to face with evil. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 25:**

**What I Wish I Hadn't Seen**

**Sirius POV:**

"What the bloody hell were you thinking going off into the forest with Krum?" I roared at him. Albus had sent Harry home by floo after there had been an attack in the forest on the two contestants. He was fine physically, but none of us were sure where is head was at. A family meeting had been put together hastily, and as had become the practice lately, my cousin had joined us.

"I just wanted to talk with him," Harry said meekly and I looked around the table. We all had rather sour faces, except for Lily, she just looked worried. _What do we have to do to get it into this kid's thick skull that he can't take risks like this? _

"Sirius, it's not doing any good to raise your voice at him," Anwen pleaded. I knew that she was having another headache episode. She hiccuped again, and little silver bubbles erupted from her mouth. It was actually quite silly, and I would have laughed at her, had I not been so angry at my godson. Anwen threw her hands up in defeat. "The bubbles really have to end," she said disgusted.

"Alright, for you love, I will keep my voice down," I said and kissed her on the head. I saw Harry roll his eyes at us.

"Harry, we have been over this time and time again. We know that you're inquisitive, and that's a great thing, but can't you please try to find some of the answers you seek INSIDE the building, like in the Library, where you'd be safe?" Remus pleaded with him.

"You know, it's really rather funny that all of you are telling me to play it safe, when I know that when you were at school none of you did," he said matter of factly, looking from his father to Remus to me. _He's right, we didn't always play by the rules._

"None of us had a sadistic dark wizard after us either, Harry," his father calmly told him, and Harry looked somehow deflated by this. "Now, why don't you tell us about what you found when you were in the forest," his Dad asked and Harry nodded at us, and went on to explain the events from the forest that night. We listened intently, and when we had all sufficiently drilled into him the seriousness of keeping himself safe his mother took him up to his room to let him sleep here tonight. When they had left the room, Remus and Anwen went over their notes.

"Something doesn't add up here. Crouch has gone round the bend, clearly, but how is it that no one has noticed?" Remus asked Anwen. She shook her head at him. Things were getting stranger and stranger and even when we laid everything out, it seemed that there was a key piece of the puzzle missing and everything else just seemed disjointed. Just then Anwen hiccuped again, and a new batch of silver bubbles floated into the room. This time we all did laugh at her, and my poor wife just looked defeated. Tonks was nearly falling off her chair.

"Okay, I thought that Lilyan's summoning of the oranges was irritating, this is driving me crazy. Honestly, silver bubbles. I was speaking in front of the Wizengamot the other day, and silver bubbles kept escaping my mouth. Thank heavens that King kept banishing them as soon as they appeared," she complained. I was laughing at her. "Any why is it that my former partner was more helpful than my husband? Hum? I'm in this mess because of you!" she yelled at me. _She's right, I wasn't much help, James and I were sitting next to each other and snickering at her and her little silver bubbles, it was funny._

"How are you in this mess because of him?" James asked her. _Uh-oh. She had been kind enough to keep the reason for her most recent pregnancy a secret from my friends, but I guess laughing at her and her bubbles had negated her promise not to tell them._ Anwen looked at me and cocked her eyebrow. _Yup, she's going to tell them._

"Do you remember when we swapped weekends with the kids in the fall?" she asked, and James nodded at her. Lily had slipped back into the Library and had sat down in her chair again. "Well, we went out to the Casino the first night we were in Monaco. Lovely evening, fine dinner, dancing, he didn't even lose any money at the roulette wheel. He did however, indulge rather heavily, in a fine bottle of red wine. In fact, my dear husband was quite drunk, and as usual, he couldn't keep his hands off me," she said, giving me a dirty look. _ Hey, I wasn't the one who drew the bath or wore those stockings, honey._

"Now, I couldn't be on 'the potion'," she said, making quotations with her fingers in the air. _ Love, we all know what potion you're talking about there, _"because I was still on the magic strengthening potions, and they interact with each other and make your hair fall out," she explained. Everyone was nodding. "There are consequences, and I am quite aware of them now," she said, another round of silver bubbles sneaking out of her open mouth, "if you don't say the spell right. You not only don't prevent pregnancy," she paused for effect, "you make your little buggers even more potent," she told them getting quite angry. Everyone was laughing. _Yes, it was a well known side effect of saying the damned spell wrong. Thank Merlin I had never gotten it wrong at school. _

"So, now he sits there with his super strength spunk, laughing at me while I hiccup bubbles from his little twin children. Lovely husband I have," she said sarcastically.

"Anwen, I do not get how you put up with him," Tonks said, laughing heartily and holding onto Remus.

"I don't know how either," Anwen said, breaking down into tears. _ Okay, the hormone rush is worse this time. I swear I don't know if she's coming or going most of the time._ "I'm sorry, I told you I wouldn't tell, and I did, I just got so mad that you were laughing at me," she whined. I leaned over and put an arm around her.

"Shh, it's okay love," I told her, kissing her head. "Come on, let's get you and the bubble blowing wonder twins there home and to bed. I didn't like that we left Kreacher home to babysit the other two. I'll actually be glad when Eira gets back next week," I said, standing up and offering her a hand.

"Your sister is coming back?" Lily said, getting up to walk us to the floo fireplace. I helped Anwen get up, stiffing my laugh at her nearly getting stuck in the chair. _Honestly, she looks like she swallowed several bed pillows in there. Can she get any bigger?_

"Yup. She took a job at the Ministry, working in the Magical Animals Division of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Anwen told her. "I think she's taken a liking to Dragon care and breeding," she added with a knowing smile. From the fire calls she had gotten from her sister, Eira and Charlie had kept in touch and their relationship was clearly growing.

"I see. So, should we expect to hear from young Mr. Weasley this summer?" Tonks asked.

"I think we should. I still don't like that he's older than her, but," she said, raising her hand, "I have been reminded by several people around this table that there is nothing wrong with being in love with an older man. Right," she said looking at my cousin. Tonks turned a bright red that clashed with her hair and looked down. Then she looked up at me, with that look of utter love and adoration that I felt humbled by every time I saw and said, "right?", then my poor Winnie hiccuped again. "Please just get me home before the Library resembles Lilyan's bath water," she complained and I kissed her temple and lead her to the floo.

**Anwen POV:**

"Albus, I didn't tell Sirius why I was coming here today. He lit into Harry a few nights ago, and I just wanted to save the kid a little heartache," I told him. It was early evening four days later, and Albus had sent Fawkes to come and retrieve me so that we could talk. I could no longer apparate due to my advanced state of pregnancy, and Sirius and James were in the process of strengthening the wards on the floo fireplaces between Grimmauld, the Farm and the Manor. The floos at Grimmauld and the Manor were so old that they were never part of the Ministry monitored floo network; they had been attached out of courtesy. The attachments were being severed. The only places that we would be able to floo to now were each others' homes and Hogwarts. We had information that Fudge had been watching our floo fireplaces, and we were not happy about it.

"I understand. Your husband can be a little rash sometimes," he said with a knowing smile. I rolled my eyes and nodded at him. _Yes, but it's his undeniable passion that drives me wild._ I added in my head.

"And you agree, these aren't dreams?" he asked me. We both knew the answer to the question; Somehow, Harry was having visions of what was going on in Voldemort's head. I nodded at him.

"I don't understand it though. Harry doesn't have innate Legilimency skills. He's only just begun to learn the most rudimentary form of Occlumency, so we haven't seen the need to teach him to invade someone else's mind." I had simply begun teaching Harry how to pack away memories that he wanted to keep to himself, not really explaining why he might want to be able to do this.

"As for Voldemort, he's quite accomplished at Legilimency, it's common knowledge, but there is no indication that he could do it when he wasn't looking at someone. The only people who are capable of that are projecting visualists, and even what I do doesn't allow me into someone's mind, but instead to see the scene that they are a part of. I haven't ever heard of something like this. There isn't anything like it in any of the ancient texts either. This is something that hasn't been seen before," I told him, grimly.

"Do you have any ideas, Anwen?" My old headmaster asked me, looking older than I had ever remembered him being. _I wish that I had the faith in myself that he seems to have in me. None of this is making sense, but then again, there were so many things about Harry that didn't make sense, why should something else surprise me._

"I wish I did. There is no reason that a rebounded curse should have acted the way that it did. There never should have been a scar, nothing should have remained of Voldemort, if he was indeed hit with a rebounded killing curse, and most definitely, there shouldn't be a connection between the two, and yet, all of this is true," I told him quietly.

"I have been grappling with this for so many years, and it just seem that there is something, a key something that I cannot seem to find to explain it all," he said, sounding and looking frustrated.

"I am going to tell Remus everything that we have discovered. He sees the big picture so much better than I do, maybe a fresh set of eyes will provide us with what we need," I suggested, and Albus agreed. "I have a horrible feeling about this final task. Are you sure that he's going to be safe?"

"I have Alastor keeping an eye on him throughout the whole thing," he told me. _Why doesn't that feel like it's a good thing?_

**Sirius POV:**

"Where is James?" I asked Remus as we were taking our seats in the stands. Somehow, Anwen had gotten herself up here, but to be honest, it was with great effort.

"He went to check on Harry one last time, Lily was still with him. Fuming over the article in the _Prophet _today. Prongs was trying to get her to ignore it, but it's Lily, and they were writing rubbish about Harry again." He actually rolled his eyes. We were all sick of Rita Skeeter and her book of lies. "Eira at home with the kids?" he asked and I nodded at him.

"Yup, she doesn't start until July 1 at the Ministry, so she is home with the her nephew and niece. Nice to have someone to keep up with them, Anwen here is having a little trouble getting around," I teased my wife. She shot me a deathly glare.

"You try being two and a half weeks away from delivering twins and see how well you get around. I hope I can get up from this stupid bench when all this is done," she said, and I rubbed her shoulders.

"If I have to, I will levitate you down from here. I wish you would have stayed in Albus' office. He said you could watch from there," I told her, kissing her temple.

"No, I can't really find Harry when I have to try and visualize through the magic in the castle walls. I need to be out here. I'm fine," she told me, and I knew better than to argue with her. I could also tell that she was having contractions, but they were few and far apart. We had the emergency portkey on us, just in case we needed to get to St. Mungo's quickly today.

The band started playing, and we saw the teaching staff start to file in. James and Lily came up and joined us, along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny who sat behind us. James discretely cast a privacy shield around our group, so that Anwen could tell us what she was seeing as she tracked Harry through the maze. She had no intention of interfering with the proceedings, but she would monitor how Harry was doing. James was sitting to my left, Anwen on my right, when I heard Winnie gasp.

"What is that in your hand?" she asked him. James opened his hand, it was the emergency portkey , locater and shield charms necklace that Harry always had on him. "Why the hell isn't he wearing it?"

"Harry said that Moody called it an 'unfair advantage' and told him that he had to remove it. I argued with him about it, said we were willing to forfeit the Cup because Harry wasn't going to take it off. Alastor reminded us about the penalty of not participating, and then reluctantly Harry took it off," he told us. I looked down at Anwen, her face was contorted in concern.

"I don't like this. Alastor knows why he wears it, and besides, he wore it in the first two tasks. If it was unfair then, why only make him remove it now?" she queried and looked at each of us. We were surprised when Molly and Bill Weasley suddenly appeared at the base of the stands. They walked up to join our group.

"Anwen, what in the world are you doing here?" Molly chastised her.

"Keeping an eye on Harry. As soon as this is over, I am headed home, I promise. Anyway, my sister wants to fire call your son," she said with a silly smile on her face.

"She is all that he talks about. Who would have thought that Charlie would be thinking of settling down before me?" Bill said, and Anwen looked at him in shock.

"What? Eira and Charlie, settling down?" she sort of stumbled out.

"Anwen, your sister and my son are most definitely in love," Molly told her, and Anwen got that look on her face, the one that she gets when she looks at babies and puppies, and then she started crying again. _I hate the pregnancy hormones._

Before we could discuss it any further, Albus entered the field, followed by the contestants. After some general information and instruction, Harry and Cedric entered the maze. Anwen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It wouldn't be hard for her to follow him, he wasn't that far.

"All of you, I need you to listen to me carefully. Anwen can watch Harry, it's a special skill that she has that very, very few people know about. If they did, she would be at great risk. If you don't think that you can keep her secret, let me know now, and you can move. Once you leave the shield I've cast, I can make it so that you won't remember what I'm telling you," James said to them in an altogether serious voice. No one moved, so I figured that they understood. I looked at him and gave him a small nod. _ He didn't need to protect her that way, but I appreciated that he did. The last thing that we needed was the Death Eaters who were still out there learning that she was a projecting visualist._

"He just parted ways with Cedric. So far, there isn't anything, but Harry is...worried," Anwen said, almost in a monotone. Her breathing was slow and steady, and I watched as her hands were moving in the air, much like when she was singing; but this time she was manipulating magic rather than her voice.

"He's using magical directionality to decide which way to go. Good teaching there Remus," she complimented him on getting at least one skill into Harry this year. "Um, well, Cedric ran into a project of Hagrid's. Don't let Eira and her new job in regulations get anywhere near Hagrid and his love of experimentation," she said and we all laughed at how that meeting could go. Anwen's face got taught. "Dementor," she said, and then she smiled, "and a perfect Patronus charm. Wow, I see what you meant Sirius, I think that his stag is stronger than his father's," she said, and I nodded at her, even though she wasn't looking at me. "Oh, not a Dementor, just a boggart," she giggled.

"Harry looks very uneasy now. He's not sure why he's not having a harder time with this, at least that's what he looks like. I can't get into his mind from this far away, not without distracting him," she said. Harry knew that she could enter his mind, she had told him. Anwen had also promised that she wouldn't enter without his permission or extreme emergency. "Oh, he's gotten himself into some sort of a distortion field," Anwen blurted out. "Damn, he's upside down and, oh Merlin, it's making me queasy," she said, holding her hand to her mouth. She held her breath for a moment, and then let it out. "He's right side up again. Thank goodness, it's not nice to hang a pregnant lady upside down," she said and then she gripped her belly and took several steadying breaths.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" I asked her. "I know that was a contraction," I whispered in her ear.

"Fine, we might need to go to the hospital when we're done, or at least to see Madame Pomfrey. I should have brought my Peppermint Potion," she whispered back. "He's moving again," she said in her regular voice.

We watched as they brought Fleur out of the maze, and Anwen just kept looking off with her eyes glazed over.

"Anything going on Winnie?" Lily asked anxiously.

"He's moving, but nothing has happened. I almost wonder if he's moving in circles or something," she told her, and then we were back to waiting. I could hear Molly shifting behind us, and Ginny and Hermione nervously chattering away, but I was more concerned with the state of my wife. I watched as again her hand went to her belly and she took a steadying breath. _Maybe I should be keeping track of how close together these things are?_

"Oh Lord, Hagrid is crazy. What the hell is that thing? No, Harry it has armor," she blurted out, her breathing was erratic and her face was scrunched together. "Hurry, hurry," she said and then her face relaxed. "Seriously, someone needs to watch what that man is breeding in the forest. No one should have created that thing," she said out loud. _I think that she forgot that we have no idea what she's seeing._ She started shaking her head, and whispering something that we couldn't understand. She was deeply in her trance now, and I was fearful of interrupting her. My eyes moved from her face to her belly, and I watched as all of the muscles squeezed together, and then relaxed. _ I'm sure that was another contraction, but she didn't even respond to it. Maybe this isn't such a good idea._

"What, no, you can't use an unforgivable. Duck, get out of the way, Oh God, something awful is happening," she spoke quickly. For the first time since Harry entered the maze she stopped to look at me. "Harry had to save Cedric from Krum, he was trying to torture him," she said. I heard Hermione gasp and Ron grumble something under his breath. Winnie went back into her stare, and I knew that she was searching for Harry again. "Oh, now that's unexpected. Bill, did you bring a Sphinx back from Egypt with you, because Harry is having to answer a puzzle for one right now?" she asked him, not turning around to see the knowing smile on Bill's face.

"He's not very good with puzzles," Hermione said glumly.

"Give him a chance, Hermione. You have no idea what Aunt Winnie and Professor Lupin have been teaching him since he was little. Give Harry a little credit here, he's smarter than you think," Ginny told her resolutely. _ I wonder if Harry knows what a cheering section he has in that girl there, or just how lucky he would be to have her on his side. I hope he wakes up about her soon, or he might miss his chance. _We sat there for what seemed like forever, until Anwen breathed what could only be called a sigh of relief.

"He got it, took him long enough, but he got it,"

"He's nearly there, oh, but wait, what the...what is that. Oh God, I didn't know that they could grow to be that large, I really don't like spiders," she mumbled, and I could hear a very unmanly squeak come from the direction of Ron. "Um, he and Cedric got past the Acromantula, but Harry is hurt, his leg is bleeding quite badly. Wait, what are they doing?" Anwen questioned, turning her head to the side and then smiling. "I will need to show Albus this. What an extraordinary boy," she said almost reverently. "They both are," she added in a whisper. "Harry and Cedric are bickering about who should get the cup, based on who saved the other's hide more during this whole tournament," she told us. I was most definitely sure that I heard his mother sigh and his best friend whisper "git" under his breath."Okay, enough already gents, I need to get off this bench," Anwen said, sounding irritated. Her hand was most definitely gripping her belly again.

"Oh," she said then, her face suddenly softer, "they're going to go get it together," she sighed. A moment passed, and then horror crossed Anwen's face. "They're gone, it was a portkey, and they're gone. I can't find them," she said, getting louder as she spoke. "Oh God, I can't find Harry," she screamed.

No one could hear her, since she was inside our bubble, but it didn't take a genius to know that there was something very wrong. "Albus, we have to tell Albus" she barked, and before any of us could say anything, Remus was up out of his seat and headed down to see the headmaster. "Oww," Anwen cringed and started panting.

"Sirius, I've got to find him. Give me your hand, I need more magic," she said, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Why, Anwen what's wrong?" Lily asked her, horrified at the events that were taking place.

"I have to contain my magic and the babies' while I do this," she explained. _Shit, she is in labor. How is this going to work?_ I watched as Anwen closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She was doing the labor breathing, while she was looking for Harry. "God, I don't even know where to look for him. If he's left Great Britain I might not be able to find him. Why the hell did Moody take his beacon off him?" she cursed under her breath, and continued to search for Harry. Perspiration was gathering on her brow, and her breathing was labored. She was grasping my hand so tightly that I was afraid she would break my fingers. James was trying to calm Lily and Molly had moved down to Remus' seat next to Anwen, stroking her back.

"Sirius, do you know how close the contractions are?" she asked me quietly.

"I haven't been timing them. Can you do that for me? All you have to is watch her, you can see the muscles contract. We might need to let Madame Pomfrey know what's going on as well," I told her quietly again, and I watched as she pulled a watch out from the pocket of her dress and began watching Anwen's belly.

Time seemed to stand still. Anwen was wrinkling her brow and I could see her eyes moving beneath her eyelids. "Wait, I think I see it, um, there it is, where the hell are they?" She was talking to herself but out loud again.

"What do you see Anwen, can you describe it?" James asked her.

"Um, it's dark, and there is a large house up on a hill. Um, tombstones, lots of them, it's a graveyard. He and Cedric have gotten their wands out, they seem confused. Your lessons are paying off, James. He just insisted that they cast shield charms over themselves. Wait, someone is coming, they're carrying something, I can't see what it is," she said, her face clenching in pain again. I saw that Molly had hit the stopwatch button on her old pocket watch.

"Oh God, he's in pain. Harry's scar is hurting him. The other person is getting closer, and....NO!" she screamed. Horror ripped through Anwen. "Someone just tired to kill Cedric. I don't know if it worked or not, Harry is on the ground and all I can see is darkness," she was crying now. I switched hands and put a protective arm around her. Tonks came and was crouching behind her, giving her more support. Anwen started rocking back and forth. "I can't see anything, it's just too dark," she cried.

"Sirius...I don't want to see this, please...it's dark. There's someone coming, Harry hurts so badly...." she was crying and rocking and I knew that she really wasn't with us, she was forcing herself to stay with Harry, even though she was so scared. Her hand tightened on her abdomen and her face contorted again. I looked over at Molly.

"Six and a half minutes, Sirius. And they're strong. We need to get her somewhere she can deliver these babies and soon," Molly said to me. I nodded at her.

"YOU'RE NOT MOVING ME!" Anwen yelled at me. I watched as the blood drained from her face, "What is that rat doing there?" she growled out. James and I looked at each other, and we knew that she could only mean one person, Wormtail, our former friend. "He's tying Harry up, oh God, Tom Riddle, no, no it can't be, please no," she moaned. Albus had come back up to where we were with Remus, and James was quickly recanting what she had said. Albus seemed to age 100 years in a matter of moments. "They're doing a spell, um, bones and flesh and oh, that thing, the thing King and I were tracking, it's there...." and then Anwen stopped. Stopped moving, stopped breathing, stopped speaking. Her eyes were wide with fear, but there was nothing else.

And then her blood curdling scream shattered the air, and the shield that James had cast around us. Albus quickly restored the charm, but people around us were looking.

"Love, Winnie, what happened?" I asked her, almost afraid of the answer she would give.

"He's done it, he got a body back. Voldemort's returned," she whispered before going limp on the bench.

"Damn it, she's passed out. Bill, go get Madame Pomfrey, I'm afraid to move her," I yelled, and Bill Weasley took off down the stairs to find the school's nurse. "Winnie, Winnie honey, come on , wake up. Come on, sweetheart, I need you to wake up," I said, gently stroking her cheek. She was breathing, actually better than she had been while she was in the trance, and I could continue to watch the contractions ripple across her body, but she wasn't waking up.

There was chaos in our little group. The girls were crying, mostly because they didn't know what had happened to Harry, and Ron was swearing a blue streak under his breath. Molly was trying to comfort Anwen and Tonks was trying to calm down Lily. James and Remus were talking a mile a minute about what might be happening with Albus, recalling what they could remember from what Anwen had told us. I just sat there, helplessly holding onto my wife who was still out cold.

"What I can't figure out, is where Alastor went. He should be here by now," Albus said, sounding distracted. Bill returned with Madame Pomfrey, who was cursing that a pregnant woman had no business climbing up the bleachers in the stadium. She waved her wand over Anwen and looked at me with anger and frustration.

"Your wife is in labor, and she's exhausted. Who obliged her magic?" She asked me. I looked at her in shock. _ Anwen's magic wasn't obliged? She was just using it._

"It wasn't, unless she did it to herself? She was channeling a lot of power just before she passed out," I told her.

"I can see that, her magical level is nearly off the scale," she said angrily. She waved her wand again, and I watched as Anwen's eyes began to flutter open.

"Mrs. Black you have no business being up here, you're in labor," the nurse yelled at her. "Anyone have any idea how close these contractions are?"

"They were at 6 ½ minutes the last time we checked," Molly told her. The matronly nurse just shook her head.

"No time to get her to the hospital, she's too far along for that long of a transport. We'll have to get her into the infirmary, haven't delivered a baby in years," she muttered. "Come on dear, we've got to get you inside," she told Winnie. I stood up, and tried to help her get up, but she nearly doubled over in pain.

"Sirius, what's happening with Harry?" she asked me. _She's in labor and she's still worried about Harry?_

"We'll find Harry, don't worry. Albus is already on it," I tried to tell her. She started shaking her head at me.

"Tonks," she screamed and the young Auror came over. "Tonks, get hold of King and tell him to pull the Green file. He will know what that means," she said, clenching her teeth between the pain. "Don't tell anyone else, just King. Remus, everything else we know is in the vault out at the Farm. Get it out and start researching," she yelled at Remus.

"Anwen, stop worrying about all of this, you're about to have the babies..." My train of thought was cut off by a bright light and the sudden whoosh of wind in the center of the grassy entrance area to the maze. Harry and Cedric were back. I couldn't tell the condition of either of them, Albus called for Fawkes and then he, James and Lily grabbed on and flashed to Harry's side. Anwen let out another tortured scream and I looked down at her.

"I think our children want to be born, now," she said as she gripped her side.

"Grab onto this, Molly I think that I might need your help," the nurse told us, and we each took hold of the scrap of parchment that she had just turned into a portkey. We were in the hospital wing in seconds.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: Hi to all of my fine readers. I've been so excited to see all of the new people who are reviewing. It really makes my day, especially when I come home exhausted, like I did today. I started back to teaching and as much as I love my kids, nine hours is a really long time with Toddlers. You're getting another chapter because my absolutely amazing and awe inspiring beta, Peter (My Ginevra), has edited this so quickly. I must tell you, he really is just terrific, given how quickly he did this and how many corrections were highlighted when I got it back. I am incapable of using punctuation correctly, so thank Peter for fixing all of those messy things that I have created here. If you're happy that's he's getting me edited so quickly, head over to his page and read his amazing stories. Okay, the names of the babies are in this chapter, as is a little information about the condition of Cedric. You're going to have to hold on for a while longer for more info on him. Sorry. A lot of people keep asking me about why they're having so many children, so fast. There is a sort of reason for it, but at the same time, once they were able to have a baby, it seemed like the dam was broken and well...they've now got a big family. I promise, she will not be pregnant again in Harry's fifth year. The song for the chapter is: "Gymnopedie # 1" by Satie. I think that it's a simply beautiful and moving piece. I don't own HP, and I'm not making any money off this story, I just hope that you enjoy. Mutt**

**Chapter 26:**

**The Missing Piece**

**Anwen POV:**

"You're sure he's alright?" I asked Molly again.

"He's right on the other side of this curtain, now if you would let me help you get something on, you can see him," she reprimanded me as I hadn't exactly been the most helpful of patients. I was worried, and my brain was preoccupied with so many things. I nodded and she helped me button up the nightgown that Minerva had brought in for me. "There now, lets just get that hair up and off your face," she said in an extremely motherly way. She waved her wand over it, and then fiddled with it with her hands as well. When she was done, she stepped back and gave a little nod. "For someone who gave birth less than an hour ago, you look quite presentable," she affirmed.

"Thank you," I looked into her eyes, "for everything," I finished. She really had been a huge help.

"It was my honor dear. Haven't helped with a baby being born in quite a while, much less two at once," she smiled at me. She slid aside the privacy screens and I realized that there was a huge crowd sitting, standing, lounging around. Sirius was standing there, and as soon as he saw Molly move aside the partition, he came and sat down with me. He tried to bathe me in calm and collectedness, but it wasn't going to work. Harry was in a bed across the room, and his mother and Ron were sitting with him. James was holding our new daughter, and Remus was holding our new son. Eira was on the floor with Ethan and Lilyan, and Ginny and Hermione were playing with them. Tonks was talking with King near the corner. Molly had gone over to where Arthur and Bill were playing with Evan and Emma. I couldn't see any farther into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked, his hand sliding down my back.

"Fine. My mind is racing however." He smiled knowingly.

"Of course it is," he replied with a slight shake of his head. "I love you," he whispered to me.

"Alright, you want to tell us the names of these babies?" Harry yelled from across the room. I shook my head at him and smiled.

"I will, as soon as you tell me that you and Cedric are alright," I told him, and his face fell a little.

"I'll be fine, Madame Pomfrey has fixed up the cuts, but I have to spend the night here," he said, his face showing his disgust. "Cedric was taken to the hospital. The Killing Curse missed him, but it shattered a grave marker behind him, and his skull was cracked," he explained. "I don't know how he's doing right now, we haven't heard anything," he added somberly. I nodded at him, and then I looked up at Sirius.

"Okay, we'll need to contact the hospital to see how he's doing." I turned away from my husband to look at Harry. "And then you and I need to talk about everything that you saw once I blacked out. I also plan on taking your memories, as well as making a copy of mine so that Albus and Remus can review everything." I turned to look at my former partner. "King, that file should be complete, but I have a duplicate at home, as well as the book that Remus got from the farm. There are copies in the Black family vault as well, but I would prefer to not have to move those if we can get away with it. I trust the goblins to keep things safer than any human." I looked at Sirius again. "We'll need to strengthen the wards around the Manor too, as well as the ones at home," I looked around and everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"Winnie, love, you're talking a mile a minute there. I haven't seen you that wound up in years," Sirius said, almost laughing at me as he leaned his head down to kiss me. "I know you're worried, but lets not get the kids too wound up, okay?" he asked and I nodded ever so slightly at him.

"Can you please tell us the names of these babies?" Harry demanded loudly, from across the room. I looked at my husband and whispered, "go ahead.". We had decided their names the night I told him that I was pregnant with twins.

"Remus, you are holding John Sirius Black and James, you are holding Jamie Lyra Black. They're your namesakes, and we'd be honored if you'd be their godfathers," Sirius told them, and I heard several of the women make happy noises. I sighed and the guys looked surprised and touched.

"I know that you were both surprised when we didn't have either of you as Ethan's godfather, but something told me that it wasn't time. It was some feeling that I had, that we needed to wait. Now we see why," I started crying again. _Oh, hell, I hate these hormones._

We chatted comfortably for a while, but when Albus came in, his face ashen and drawn. I could tell that he needed to talk with us. The rest of the Hogwarts students were shuffled off to bed, and Eira, Molly and Arthur took the four younger children to one of the unused guest suites that were in the castle. Bill offered to stay and watch guard through the night, but we agreed that there probably wouldn't be any need. He instead chose to return to the Burrow and begin strengthening the Wards. We would all be staying here for the night. Madame Pomfrey was trying to get me to go to St. Mungo's. I flatly refused. _I'm not sure that it's safe right now, the babies and I are safer here. _He insisted that I was fine, and then sent her off to Alastor's office, and then down to the kitchens. Albus explained that the person who we had all seen as Alastor all year, was in fact Barty Crouch Jr, under Polyjuice Potion.

"That would explain why he's been avoiding me, and why when I did see him, his magical aura was off. The Polyjuice wouldn't change his magical signature," I said, the reality dawning on me. Just then Jamie started crying in James' arms, and I took her back from him, threw a blanket over us, and got her latched on so that she could feed. The only men in the room that weren't staring at the floor or the ceiling were my husband, James and Arthur. _She's under a blanket there guys, it's not like you can see anything._

"Don't berate yourself," Albus told me. "It's not like you haven't had quite a lot on your plate this past year," he said. I gave him a non-committal shrug and he continued. _ The real Alastor will be ever so displeased with my lack of vigilance here. _

"Harry, I know it's a lot to ask, but I need for you to recount everything that you can remember. I know that you've already agreed to have your memories taken, so that we can review a copy in the Pensive, but I need to know exactly what happened from the time that you entered the grave yard," Albus asked Harry, and the young man nodded at the headmaster. "Before we begin, would the two of you mind going down and taking over watching the prisoner for Minerva. I believe that Cornelius was headed that way." King and Tonks nodded at him, and took off.

I looked across the room at Harry, and I could tell that while he was putting up a brave face, the events of the night were weighing heavy upon him. James had gone to sit on the foot of his son's bed, while Lily was sitting next to him at the head, stroking his hair and holding him as only a mother would. Remus had grabbed a chair and was sitting at the foot of my bed, still holding John. Sirius had shifted himself so that he was sitting against the headboard, and I was leaning against him. I was surprised to see Fawkes, on the window ledge, beside Harry's bed.

Dumbledore cast what I was sure were privacy spells and silencing spells around the room, and then he handed Remus some parchment and a quill from inside his robes. _He must know of Mr. Lupin's habit of taking copious notes at family meetings. _He laid John down on the bed with me, nestled between my outstretched legs.

"Are you sure that this has to be done tonight?" James asked aloud, as he looked over at his son.

"Really, Albus, he isn't going anywhere," Sirius added.

"We need to know. It will be easier on him, once he's told this story. Harry, please, tell us what happened," Albus asked, and Harry nodded.

He began his tale with their arrival into the graveyard, although he didn't know that's what it was at the time. Harry told us how he knew that there was something wrong, and immediately told Cedric to cast a shield charm. "I knew that I would never hear the end of it, if my first move wasn't to protect myself," he said, his eyes moving from his father, to his godfather, to me. I smiled at him. _ All of those years of training have served him well._ He told us of Wormtail entering with the mangled form of Voldemort, although he didn't realize what it was at the time. He went into great detail over the ritual, and Remus made sure to write everything down. _We would need to research this ceremony, and find out what weaknesses it might have produced that we could exploit. _Lily gasped as Harry told of Wormtail cutting off his own hand. As Harry spoke of Wormtail cutting him, his fingers ran over the scar that was healing on his arm. He told us of his horror as Voldemort emerged from the cauldron, nearly human.

His voice got distant and lost its emotion as he explained what happened next. "He told me things about his family, and then the Death Eaters started showing up," Harry told us. "He tortured them, he talked to them about those that were there; and the ones that weren't. I don't remember some of it very well. My scar was hurting again," he told us in a somber, quiet voice. "He rambled on and on, talking about his stupid plan," he said, sounding disgusted at it. _ I will be anxious to see those memories. We might hear and see things that mean nothing to Harry, but that will help us immensely. _

"And then, he cast the Cruciatus on me," Harry whispered. Lily gasped and hugged him tighter. James stood and went to his son. Remus dropped his quill and Sirius wrapped his arms around me. I simply pulled a quivering breath through my teeth. _Oh God, he's younger than I was._

"Albus, please, don't make him tell us any more, not now," James pleaded with the headmaster.

"Dad, let me finish okay. There's some stuff that I don't understand, and Professor Dumbledore might help it make sense" he begged his father, and James relented. Jamie had finished eating, and I pulled her out from under the blanket and handed her to Sirius. John was still sleeping, so I covered myself up fully and shifted into a more relaxed position in the bed. Harry took a deep breath and looked at his father, who nodded, giving Harry permission to continue.

"Wormtail released me, and I thought about trying to run, but I didn't know where I was or how I was supposed to get out of there. Plus, Cedric was lying there, and I didn't know if he was alive or dead," he told us. I found myself nodding at him, silently affirming that he had done the right thing. "He tortured me again, and then he tried to put me under the Imperius curse, but I fought it off," he said in a throw away fashion. I could feel the surprise register on my face. _He threw off the Imperius. We had Aurors who were half way through training that couldn't do that. Wow!_

"Voldemort tried to curse me again, but I was able to get away this time, hide behind a tombstone, gather my thoughts and survey the area. I noticed that the portkey wasn't far from me, and that it was still glowing. I figured it meant that I could use it to get back here," he told us. "Voldemort was getting frustrated, but I wasn't going to get out without standing up and facing him," he said, with an eerie calm in his voice. "I would rather die fighting than hiding anyway," he added quietly. Lily continued to hold her son, but tears were streaming down her face. James had a protective hand on his shoulder.

"The only spell that I could think of using, was the disarming spell. Casting a shield charm wouldn't even do anything against the Killing Curse, but if I could get his wand away from him, I knew I could stand a chance of running away," he said, almost as if he needed to justify his actions.

"Harry, you did the right thing. We've always told you that it's more important to get yourself to safety than to play the hero," Remus told him, with affirmation and respect in his voice.

"We cast our spells at the same time, and they seemed to collide with one another, like when you lay magnets on the table and they pull toward each other. Where they met, the magic changed colors, it became sort of gold and it spun a web around us," he said. Harry was looking off into space, as if he was trying to remember it, so that he could put it into words. "Voldemort's wand began emitting these noises, and I swear that I heard you scream, Mum. It was so hard to hold onto it, but something inside of me told me that I had to," he explained. "Then I heard another voice, it sounded like you Dad, telling me to take Cedric and use the portkey to get back here. I didn't think about it, I just did what the voice said, and we ended up here," Harry told us, settling back in his bed, laying his head on his mother's leg.

"What happened there?" James asked, clearly confused.

"Priori Incantatem," Albus said the same time as I whispered the words. "Harry and Voldemort's wands are made from phoenix feathers from the same bird. Harry's wand involuntarily caused it's brother to regurgitate magic. Now, as for the your voice being the one he heard, I think that may have more to do with his respect for you, and his desire to do what you would have done," Albus explained, and I could have sworn that James swelled a little with pride.

"Harry, I am going to need to take those memories. I am quite certain that as I review them, I will find things in them that will be very helpful for us. I promise that it won't hurt, and then, we can leave you to sleep for the night," he said, and Harry nodded his ascent. Albus pulled his wand, and began removing the thin wisps of memories from the boy, depositing them in some small bottles that he produced from his robes. When he was finished, he bid us goodbye and then took off to check on Alastor.

Lily uncorked a small phial and handed Harry the Dreamless Sleep Potion, and we all watched as he drifted off into slumber. Remus said that he was headed back to the Manor, to stay there for the night and to do some research, and James and Lily finally reluctantly left Harry sleeping, and went to the guest chambers to check on the rest of the children, and try and get some sleep.

"You know, you can leave and go get some sleep too," I told Sirius, but he shook his head at me.

"Anwen, there is no way I am leaving either you or Harry alone tonight. The only reason James left, is because I assured him that I would be here to watch over the two of you, well, the four of you," he amended himself, looking down onto the bed at our two beautiful newborn children. "They're so..." he trailed off, looking at them in wonderment.

"That they are dear," I mused. John had a fine coating of brown hair and bright blue eyes, and shockingly looked somewhat like Remus, which was odd, given that he wasn't actually related to his godfather. Jamie was the real surprise, as her head was covered with soft, thin blond hair. She had beautiful gray eyes like her daddy. "I'm going to change their nappies, and then lie them down. We should get a couple of hours before one of them wakes up to eat," I told him and he nodded at me. When Eira came over with the older two, she had enough sense to bring the bags that I had packed for the hospital with her. Thankfully, there were nappies, wipes and clothes for both kids inside. I made quick work of changing them, and then we wrapped them up tightly in their blankets. Sirius had expanded one of the beds and the bedding so that we would all fit, and we lay down, our newborns between us, with them facing each other. My head hit the pillow, and I realized that I was exhausted.

**Sirius POV:**

"What are you doing awake, Harry? You really should be sleeping?" I could hear Anwen speaking to Harry across the room, she was very hushed, but when she had shifted and lifted one of the babies from the bed, I had felt it.

"I woke up. The memories of what happened...." he trailed off. "You know, I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn't you be more tired after giving birth?" he said, and I heard Anwen's slight chuckle. "I am tired, and I will only get more so, however, babies want to eat at all times of the night. When Jamie started to stir, I needed to get up with her, before she woke her brother and her Daddy," she said quietly. "Harry, how are you really doing?" she asked him quietly.

"I don't know. I want to forget, and to run away, and to...I close my eyes and I can still feel the pain," he said quietly. _Poor kid, no one should ever have to go through that. When I find that bloody bastard or the rat who used to be my friend, I will make sure they suffer the way Harry has._

"Harry, did anyone ever tell you the story about the time your Father saved my life?" Anwen asked him quietly. _Anwen, no one talks about that day, ever. It was awful for all of us, and the weeks after that, they still haunt me._ Harry must have responded that he didn't know, because I heard her begin telling him. "I was 16, and in my last year at Hogwarts. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Sirius had come up to spend the day with me. We had done some shopping, and then we met your Mum and Dad and Remus for lunch. After lunch, there was an explosion, and everyone took off. I didn't know it at the time, but they were all part of the resistance already," she explained. "Once I was alone, I was lured into an alleyway, and I was attacked by four Death Eaters, led by Sirius' younger brother," she told him.

"Uncle Sirius has a brother?" he asked her, sounding shocked.

"He did. He was killed by Voldemort not long after this happened. Anyway, Regulus, that's Sirius' brother, hated me from the minute he knew I existed. I never did figure out if it was because I made Sirius happy, or if it was just that I was Muggle born. Anyway, there were four of them, and they broke my shoulder and then used the cutting curse on me," she stopped, and I was sure that she was steadying herself. "Then Regulus tortured me, and the others were ripping at my clothes and they were touching me," she stopped again, and I heard Harry make a rather tortured noise. Anwen took a few deep breaths. "Your father came along, and stopped them before they could hurt me any more. I was lost for days in my own mind, and it was very hard for me to come back. You're doing exceptionally well, Harry," she assured him. "There are adults who would not be able to withstand what you did, and still be walking and talking. The memories will fade, and I can teach you some skills that will help you keep these memories from ruining your happiness," she told him. I opened my eyes and looked over and she had her hand on his face, stroking his cheek in a very motherly way. "You should really talk with Ginny, too," she added.

"Why would I talk with Ginny about all of this?" he asked her, sounding surprised and shocked.

"Because, she's the only other person that you know who's been cursed by Voldemort himself," she added and I know that I heard Harry gasp.

"Ginny...tortured? In her first year? Oh bloody hell, I didn't know that," he stammered out.

"I know you didn't. She didn't want people worrying about her, which is why I took her away, to the old safe house, where no one could find her. She needed time to heal. If you need to do the same thing, we can do that too, Harry. I actually have a lot of experience working with people who have been through what you have, well except for the whole dark ritual, thingy, to restore my body, mess, that's something you alone have," she added and I heard him chuckle.

"Great, that's a distinguisher I wanted," he said sarcastically. "I will probably want to talk with you some, just don't tell my parents, okay. They'll just worry, and..." he begged her.

"No, this will be between us. We can tack it onto your lessons this summer, they won't be any wiser. The only other one who knows is Jamie here, and she won't be talking for years," she added. "Now, why don't you take some more of that potion, and get some sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll need to figure out what will happen next, okay?" she asked, and I heard the frame of Harry's bed creak and groan as she got up and Harry shifted around.

Anwen's gentle footsteps came back to this side of the room, and I could hear her cooing at Jamie at she changed her and got her settled back down on the bed. I then felt her lift up John, who had just started moving around. "At least I didn't fall asleep before you woke up to eat," she mused at our little son, and she settled herself down and I could hear him suckle. Anwen softly hummed as she fed our little boy, and when he was done, she changed him as well and they both settled down into the bed. When her breathing had changed, and I was sure she was asleep, I got up and started pacing. My mind was racing as I began making a list of the things that I needed to do to keep my family safe now .

**James POV:**

"Bloody hell, is the whole damned Ministry full of idiots," I yelled as I entered the hospital wing. Lily was behind me, as were Remus, Tonks and Albus. It wasn't until I got the doors fully opened that it sank in that it really was still quite early. Harry still lay asleep in his bed, and Anwen and the babies were asleep across the room. Only Sirius was awake, and from the looks of him, he had spent most of the night that way.

"What in world are you screaming for there Prongs?" Sirius said, stifling a yawn. He was still in his rumpled clothes from the night before, and his face was quite drawn. "They're all still sleeping in here, which is what normal people are doing at," he pulled his pocket watch out and opened it. "5:48 in the morning," he complained, and then yawned again.

"James seems rather perturbed at our Minister of Magic. It would appear that he has made a rather poor choice of things," Albus started talking.

"He's a wanker," Tonks piped up. _ I always did like her bluntness. _"King and I took Crouch to the Ministry last night, got him locked up in a secure chamber down in the bowels of the building, but while we were filing our report, WITH the testimony of Minerva and Snape," she spit his name out the same way we all do, "he decided he didn't want to wait for oh, evidence or a final report or well, ANYTHING," she screamed. Both Harry and Anwen were stirring at this point. Lily went and sat down with our son, and Sirius went to Anwen's side.

"Alright, so we have further evidence that Fudge sits on his brain," Sirius added, and I couldn't help but chuckle at him. "What did he do now?"

"He gave Barty Crouch to the Dementors," she spit out, throwing her arms up in the air. Anwen put her head in her hands, and I saw a shiver pass over Sirius. Harry just looked small and defeated.

"What a shock, Fudge destroyed evidence," Anwen said glumly. "Please tell me that you and King saved copies of the interviews with everyone?" she pleaded with Tonks and the young Auror nodded.

"Hey, I had you teach me how to do this, of course we did. I immediately sent them to the farm so that Remus could put them away in the file there," she said, and Anwen smiled.

"We need to move quickly, Cornelius is going to try and brush all of this under the carpet, make it so that Barty was responsible for it all. We know that isn't the case. Time will be of the essence," Albus started. "Tonks, I need you to go to the Ministry today, talk with King and anyone else that you can, who you think might be interested in joining us. Speak with your mother and father as well," he told her and she nodded at him. "Whatever you do, be discrete. Fudge is already worried that I'm moving against him, if it seems that we are interfering, it could be much worse," Albus added.

"I know," she added. "I heard him last night, railing against Harry and saying that he was delusional and probably crazy. Stupid man, believes that damned _Prophet _ and that Skeeter woman," Tonks threw away. _Wait, he thinks my son is crazy? Why would he make this up? What would lead him to think that Harry would get anything from telling people Voldemort was back, if he wasn't?_

"My son is telling the truth!" Lily said, slamming her foot against the floor. "I will not have people talking about him this way," she said firmly, her face getting red.

"Mum, it's okay. You believe me, my friends believe me, heck, he can't stand Dad or Aunt Winnie or Professor Dumbledore, so at least I'm in good company," Harry quipped. I couldn't help but be proud of my son's ability to put things into perspective.

"I've already spoken to Arthur, Molly and Bill. Bill is going to stop and talk with Charlie on his way back to Egypt, as well as working to liaison with the Goblins. Severus has set off as well, he will report back when he can," Albus continued. I looked at Sirius and Remus. They both had the same look of concern on their faces.

"Albus, I know that you trust him, but I have to be honest, we don't. I don't know that I'm comfortable with him being around Harry, and having him be privy to our secrets," I told him straight away. Lily looked as if she wanted to say something, but then stopped.

"I know how you all feel, but I am willing to trust him, and we need the information that he provides," he told me in such a way that I knew the conversation was over.

"Remus, I need you to get in touch with as many of the old crowd as you can. Tell them to meet at the Manor in three days time, at 7:00 p.m. ..." Albus started speaking again, but Anwen cut him off.

"No. You can't use the Manor, not this time. It would be too many people, and since it isn't connected to the floo network anymore, we would need to rely on apparitions into the area around the house. Harry needs to have somewhere that's completely safe, that no one can get to, except for those absolutely closest to him. The Manor won't work this time," she said resolutely.

"We can't use the school, it would be too obvious if there were people in and out of the building all of the time. Do you have a suggestion?" he asked her. I watched Anwen look at Sirius, and then something passed between them.

"You can use our home. People will still have to come in through Muggle London, but there are secluded places that they can apparate into, or they can simply walk down the street, since it was removed from the floo network last week. We have plenty of room, and it's safe enough. If it gets to be too much for the kids and me, we can go and live out at the farm," she said quietly. "I hope you wouldn't mind some company," she asked Remus and he shook his head at her.

"It's your house, you're welcome at it any time," he told her.

"You're certain? You're likely to not have any privacy, maybe for years to come," Albus told her. I knew she remembered the last time, and how there were people in our house nearly constantly.

"The top two floors are our private quarters, we'll keep people off of those floors, and we'll be fine. I'll contact Ewan as well, we should start brewing the binding potion immediately, and bind Harry to his parents and his siblings. I will also contact some of my friends from my Auror days on the continent. There are people who will want to work against Voldemort. They don't want to see what happened last time repeat itself," she said quietly, looking down at her newborn twins. I was sure that there was a tear falling down her face.

"We'll return home tonight. This way we have a few days to get things set up before people start showing up. We'll also tighten the floo wards. I think we need to keep the list as short as possible, maybe only family that can use it? I'll leave that to you and James, love," she said, looking up at Sirius. He nodded at her, and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Well then, I think we should be off," Albus concluded and as we were all beginning to disperse, something came to his mind, because he added. "What should we do about Harry?" Everyone turned to look at my son, who seemed to shrink into his bed.

"Why not let him go home. There's no reason to keep him here, and he will feel better in his own bed, being able to play with his sister and brother. Next week we can start his lessons," Remus suggested, and Harry seemed relieved at the idea.

"That sounds fine. Once Poppy clears him, you may take him home," Albus said, and then he swiftly went from the room. Tonks and Remus shared a goodbye, although they both looked somewhat uncomfortable with the audience they had. They both left, and for a moment, we all sat there in a sort of numb silence. It was broken by the footsteps of two little boys running into the room. Evan ran over to his big brother and Ethan followed suit. Molly and Eira were close behind, each carrying a little girl. I looked over at Sirius, and when our eyes met, I knew that we were thinking the same thing. _No one is going to touch our families, ever again._


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, three chapters in one week, hope that this makes you happy. A lot goes on in this chapter, and it does take quite a while to get through the summer between the fourth and fifth years of canon. Hope that you enjoy this one, and the lone song for this chapter is : "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" by the Barenaked Ladies. I don't own Harry or his world, and no copyright infringement is intended. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, I love to hear from all of you. Mutt**

**Chapter 27:**

**Legal Maneuvers**

**Sirius POV:**

I knew that she was in the house, somewhere, but for the life of me, I could not find my wife. We had been back from Hogwarts for two days, and she had been moving things and re-arranging furniture to accommodate the new role that our home would be playing. Much of the cabinetry in the Dining Room had been emptied to accommodate books, plans and other items for Order business. It would be used as the meeting room. Most of the good family china and silver had been placed under lock and key, due to the fact that Anwen didn't trust certain members of the Order to not try and remove things from our home. _Mundungus Fletcher_ my mind coughed. I chuckled at the way Anwen leered at him when he was in the house.

The ballroom had been converted into several smaller rooms. There was an open recreation area at one end, and then three bedrooms were carved out of the rest of the room. Several sets of bunk beds were in each of the rooms. Books had been removed from the Drawing Room and the Library; things that contained magic that underage wizards shouldn't be able to look at. They had been stowed in a special locking trunk, and the trunk was then put in Anwen's studio. Only she, I and Remus were able to unlock the room.

The guest bedrooms on the second floor were readied, and the Purple Bedroom, was now going to be called Eira's room. Anwen had tried to get her sister to consider getting her own place, but Eira was adamant that she wanted to be close to all of her nieces and nephews. Her bedroom was the only one that would be on the third floor. We were trying to keep the top two floors as our private space, but Eira wasn't just a member of the Order, she was our sister.

Before the night of the twins birth, Anwen had already made arrangements with Hermione's parents for her to spend the summer with us. Anwen was going to tutor her in advanced Rune translation, as well as French and Latin. The portion of the ballroom that Hermione was using as her bedroom, was arranged to accommodate Ginny as well, as the Weasleys would be moving into the headquarters. Their excuse was that it would be easier than trying to apparate their underage children back and forth, since we were no longer on the floo network, but I suspected that it was really to ease the burden on Anwen. Harry had also lobbied to be able to spend some time here, which his parents relented to, but also insisted that he spend some time at home.

All of this activity had been going on in the house, at the same time that Anwen was trying to recover from giving birth, caring for the newborn twins, our 16 month old daughter and our 27 month old son. I was concerned, because no one had seen her for a while, and it was so unlike her to not be fussing over the kids. Eira and Tonks had been playing outside with them. We only had a few more days till the Weasleys would be moving in, and then a short time later, the Hogwarts students would be returning from school. I was expecting Harry later this afternoon, as he wanted to spend some time with Anwen learning about how to keep some of his memories from haunting him day and night.

I walked into the Master bedroom, once again looking for her, but I couldn't see her. Then I heard a sound from inside her closet. I walked around the corner that led to where our walk-in's were located, and looked into hers. My wife was sitting, balled up, on the floor, along with the pile of her shoes. She was rocking back and forth, her shoulders shaking. She was obviously weeping.

"Anwen..." I said quietly, not wanting to frighten her. She looked up, and her beautiful green eyes were red and swollen, her face was blotchy and tear streaked. Her whole being looked defeated and broken. She saw me and the worst noise I had ever heard escaped from her as she began sobbing even harder. I knelt down, and lifted the small ball of my wife up and carried her to our bed. We lay there, and I held her as she sobbed and wailed. I tried to comfort her, but it just seemed that she would need to let this all out of her system. When she had finally calmed herself, or maybe just cried herself out, I asked her what had brought this on.

"What if we don't make it?" she whispered. I didn't need her to elaborate on what she was talking about.

"We will," I assured her.

"Last time, we were both targeted, they came after us relentlessly. This time, we're even at more of a risk, we're both on the Wizengamot, and you're on the Council. I work for the head of Law Enforcement. But Sirius, we have four very small children," she whispered. "I can't loose you, or the kids," she added.

"We'll be fine, I promise you. I will not let anyone hurt you, ever, I promise," I told her, holding her close to me. _I've already taken steps my dear wife, no one will get near you or the children. I promise you._ I stroked her back and held my lips to her head until she had finally calmed herself down.

June ended and July soon began, and by the fifth, our house was full of people. Everyone who would be living here had moved in, and the house was a constant bustle of activity. I had warded the top two floors of the house so that only a select few people could get up here. While we trusted the majority of the members of the Order, we still wanted a modicum of privacy. I was on my way up to the fourth floor to find Anwen and the girls. Ethan was outside, flying on his broom in the back yard with Harry, Ron and Ginny, and Hermione was in the Library studying and keeping an eye on John while he was sleeping. Molly was busying herself in the kitchen, although I assured her that Kreacher could be made to do the cooking and cleaning, I think that she was concerned with boredom if she didn't move through her usual routine. The Weasley twins were locked in the room that they shared – something that displeased me to no end. As I topped the staircase, I heard my wife's voice coming from the bathroom on the top floor.

"Bubbles," she said, very slowly, enunciating every syllable. I opened the door to find Jamie in her little tiny bathtub on the floor. Anwen was kneeling beside it, with Lilyan on her lap. Lilyan was patting the leftover bubbles from washing her sister, and there was water and bubbles everywhere, including stuck to Lilyan's cascade of curls.

"Bubbub" Lilyan said, clapping her hands.

"Very good, Lilyan. You're right, bubbub. You're playing with bubbles." My wife praised our toddler. She looked up and beamed at me. "Look sweethearts, it's your Daddy. Lilyan, tell Daddy what you're playing with," she said, smiling at our eldest daughter. Lilyan put her hand into the tub again, and proudly pronounced "bubbub". I scooped up my princess and threw her in the air.

"Yes you are, what a smart little girl you are. Yes, sir, Daddy's little ladybird is very, very smart," I said, as I caught her. She had recently been given the nickname of ladybird, for her love of the tiny red and black insects that flew among the flowers and bushes in the backyard. Lilyan would chase them until she fell over from exhaustion.

"Well, how would you like to change your little ladybird there, and get her ready for her nap? She ate all of her lunch, and she helped me bathe Jamie, so now she needs to take a rest," Anwen told me, and I nodded at her.

"Come on, ladybird, let's fly you to your crib," I said, lifting her high over my head and pretending to fly her into her room. I quickly changed her nappy, and banished the sticky spot of jelly I found on her dress from her lunch, and then laid her down in her crib. I kissed her forehead and ran my hand over her head. She rolled herself over onto her side, so she could watch the mural on her wall. A butterfly was floating between the flowers, and I was sure that I saw the big black dog wander through in the background.

"Wub Daddy," she said in her sweet, little voice.

"Daddy loves you too sweetheart. Sleep well," I said, before I ran my hand over the lullaby box and Anwen's voice filled the room. I stepped out and closed the door and I heard my wife swear in the bathroom. I walked the few steps to the door, and saw the blueish mist of a patronus dissipating. She was still on the floor, snapping up the top of the little outfit that Jamie was wearing.

"What's the matter?" I quickly asked her.

"We've got to get to the Ministry. An emergency meeting of the Council of 13 has been called. They're fire calling the members, but, since our floo isn't attached, we wouldn't have gotten a call. Amelia told King, who Patronused us and James. We've got, 23 minutes to get ourselves over there," She said, looking at her watch and then rising to pick up Jamie. "Um, let me put her in her carrier, it's in our room, and take her down to see if Molly or Ginny can watch her. Hermione has John with her, the other two shouldn't be too much trouble. Oh, damn, I need to pump too," she muttered, as she passed me and headed down the stairs. "Get your robes on, and gather your things and meet me downstairs," she said. When she reached the third floor, she ducked into our room, put Jamie in the carrier and then summoned her Solicitors robes. While she couldn't vote at the Council meetings, she was often present to give counsel to the chief Warlock, Albus. I went to my closet and got my robes and headed down to the kitchen, where she was talking with Molly.

"They've both fed, um, about two hours ago." She waved her wand in front of herself, and the two bottles on the table were magically filled. "They haven't been great taking these, although Jamie is better about it than John. I hope you'll have more luck than Sirius has had. I don't know what's going on, but if it gets to be too late, I may need you to come over with the kids so I can feed them. We'll see what happens. I will try and get word to you as quickly as we can. Thank you so much for watching them," she told Molly. The older woman just looked at her with a kind smile.

"Anwen, if you have to go and do official things, then you have to go. You're children are no problem, and I have plenty of help here. Lily is bringing her two over after naps, so we'll be fine. I'll have dinner ready at six," she concluded.

"Thank you," Anwen said nodding. "Oh, and Ethan should go down in about, twenty minutes or so. If he doesn't take a nap, he's a bear," she added and Molly nodded.

We walked back up to the main floor, and went out to the back yard. We told the older kids where we were going, and Anwen kissed Ethan on the head, and we apparated to the Ministry of Magic to see what drama was unfolding there.

**Anwen POV:**

We moved quickly from the apparition point to the lifts. In our official robes we didn't have to check in, which was nice. We got upstairs and sprinted for my office. Albus was sitting with Amelia and King in the conference room that we shared. They stood at our entering.

"What's going on?" I quizzed them.

"Lucius Malfoy is making moves to have Albus removed as the chief Warlock. We're positive that the move is being prompted by Cornelius, but we've got no evidence," Amelia told me. I could feel Sirius getting angry and could see his fists clench at hearing this. I put a warning hand on his arm. _ I can't be worried about him and trying to do my job. I should be on my maternity leave, the kids aren't even two weeks old yet._

"Well, he can't make such a move in open session. The only way that he could be removed is if the Council were to remove him. Why did you call the meeting?" I asked Albus.

"Anwen, I am not sure that I would survive a vote of 'No Confidence' at this time. There are too many people who are reading the _Prophet_ and believing what is written there," he said. The newspaper articles had been relentless, and it was impossible to go against them now, since Fudge had pushed through his press protection plan.

"Um, well, okay I could see that. But calling a meeting when you don't think you can survive the vote doesn't make much sense, does it? What are you planning Albus?" I asked him. He got one of those knowing smiles.

"I can't be removed from the Council, not unless they somehow convict me of a trumped up charge that makes it through the full court. I can however, be demoted, and then it's questionable who would get put in my place. If I abdicate as the chief Warlock..." he said, then being interrupted by Sirius.

"No way, you can't just step aside. That's crazy. The rubbish that they're printing in the _Prophet_ is complete bunk..." Sirius was railing against the very idea. I gave him the look, the one that lets him know that he has stepped out of line.

"Sirius, stop it! Let's find out what his plan is, because I doubt he would even think about this without having a plan, and we've only got a few minutes before we have to be in the Council chambers," I said, putting my hands on my husbands upper arms. He looked down at me, and his face softened a little. "Albus, what's your idea?" I asked.

"I will abdicate, and then move to have Amelia promoted to chief Warlock. She is well respected and thought of, and professionally she is well above reproach. There will be no problem getting the two thirds vote of the Council for her to succeed me. If I get demoted without a plan, Lucius may be able to get himself appointed, which will mean that Cornelius will have full control of the Wizengamot. This way, they will retain their impartial nature. I would have suggested James, but with everything that they are saying about Harry..." he said and I nodded in agreement.

"No, you're right. James would be excellent, but the timing isn't quite right," I voiced my assent. "Amelia, are you sure that you want to do this, if Fudge is pulling the strings, he won't be happy that he was thwarted," I warned her. I personally thought that Cornelius Fudge was getting unstable in his fear of losing his grasp on power.

"It's the right thing to do, and as for Fudge, he doesn't scare me. Anyway, I have a Senior Auror around me at all times lately, how much harm can a man who barely completes his dueling re-certs each year actually do?" she questioned and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's true. Okay, what do you need from me?" I asked Albus.

"Can you find me the rules on abdication? I want to confirm the wording, to make sure what we have planned is indeed fully legal, and that there are no loopholes. I also need to confirm the rank of the families on the Council," he told me, and I raised my hand and the large tome flew in towards me. I opened the dark blue, Wizarding Law book and held my hand over it, requesting that it open to the section on abdication. I quickly read it, and I could only see one potential problem in our plan. "There won't be any problem in abdicating, however, when this is over, if you want to regain your seat at the chair and therefore the chief Warlock, you have to be approved by a vote of eleven members, rather than the standard two-thirds. Also, Amelia would have to have no desire to hold onto the seat. My advice is, let's worry about this when the time comes rather than now. We both can see the potential disaster of this dissolving into a full battle within the Wizengamot," I said and Albus nodded at me. Sirius looked at me puzzled.

"Why, what could happen if this was taken to the floor of the Wizengamot. Albus has a great many friends," he said, and he did have a point.

"He does, but Sirius, if the power of the Wizengamot is weakened, or if it becomes a puppet of Fudge, what happens when he is no longer Minister? Or worse, what if Voldemort makes inroads into the Ministry. We could never, ever be able to fight that. No, we have to protect the integrity of the Council and the Wizengamot," I explained. _I wish Remus were here to explain this to him. He seems to be able to make even extremely complex things understandable._ "Now, you also wanted a listing of families in order?" I asked Albus and he shook his head at me. I conjured a piece of parchment and waved my hand over it and the list was reproduced on the page. "Here, you've got about um, one and half minutes before that meeting is to begin. Do you want me in the chamber today?" I asked Albus as I handed him the parchment.

"Not to begin with. If we need you, I will send for you. Why don't you wait here, and make sure that you know the law, I am sure that Cornelius will come at you expecting all of his questions to be answered," he told me and I nodded at him. I looked at Sirius, and realized that I needed to straighten up his robes, he was a bit disheveled. I got him fixed up and kissed him lightly.

"Try and hold your tongue. You're quite wound up today, and I wouldn't want you saying anything that you'd regret," I begged him, and he nodded at me. "I am going to check up on Cedric. It didn't look good when I spoke with his parents last. Amos was planning on coming back to work this week, so I will send a memo down to see if he's here and invite him up to talk," I told him and he again nodded at me and kissed my head and then headed off. They all headed off to the meeting, and King went back to his office, and I to mine. I sent a quick note off to Amos, and then pulled out the Registry of the Wizengamot again, and read the law, paying special attention to the wording and phrases used. I could hear someone in the hall, walking back and forth and I looked out to see Cornelius. _ Honestly, you would think that man would have more to do than just walk up and down the halls pacing. It's not like Voldemort is back or anything. _ I rolled my eyes at him and then went back to work. After a few minutes, Amos Diggory walked in and knocked on my door.

"Anwen, what are you doing in the office? I would think that family matters would have you still at home," he said and I indicated that he should take a seat, which he did.

"I could say the same thing about you," I told him. "There is an emergency meeting of the Council today, and I needed to be here to offer legal analysis. As soon as it's over, I will be headed back home, and I hope to not be back for anothersix weeks. How is Cedric?"

"Unchanged. There was traumatic swelling to the brain, and while it's gone down, the Healer's say that there is nothing that they can do about the damage the swelling caused. He's lost most of his speech and memory and his physical movements are slow and uncoordinated," he told me. "They have some hope that as the swelling continues to go down, he might regain some of these skills, or that he can re-learn them, but it will be a very long time," he told me, clearly trying to choke back his tears. I got up from my chair and went to him.

"Oh, Amos, I am so sorry. If there is anything that I can do, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me," I told him, and he nodded at me, silent tears falling down his face. "He's an exceptional young man, who has a very strong will. If anyone can come back from something like this, I am sure that it would be Cedric," I told him as he tried to pull himself together. "Why are you here? Wouldn't you rather be at the hospital with your wife and son?"

"Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures doesn't pay much, and Cedric's medical bills are going to be quite high. I can't afford to take any more time off," he sighed. Before I could press him any further, he began talking again. "Met your sister the other day, she seems like a sweet girl, but getting used to that accent of hers will be quite a task. Knows quite a bit about those dragons," he said. I nodded at him.

"I think that she's learned quite a bit from her boyfriend. She has been apparently corresponding and then dating Charlie Weasley since the Quidditch World Cup last year. I even understand that he's planning on coming back to England and taking a job in your department," I told him and he nodded at me.

"It will be another six months or so, but yes, he is coming back into the country. Young love is something quite extraordinary," he said, and then his eyes glassed over and he began talking more quietly. "Cedric's girlfriend came to the hospital a few times, and just sat there and wept. I was actually glad she hasn't shown up much lately. Made the Mrs quite upset," he added. _That's the girl that Harry wanted to take to the ball. I wonder what will happen with them now, if she's not that interested in Cedric anymore. What will that mean for Ginny?_ "Well, I should get back to my office, thanks so much for your concern, and I will let you know if there is anything we need. Congratulations on your little ones too," he said and I smiled at him and then he turned and left quickly. I could hear him talking to Cornelius in the hallway, but I wasn't sure of what was being said.

I went back to reading my book, and had confirmed to myself what I needed to know, should I need to defend Albus' actions. When I heard multiple voices and footsteps in the hallway, I knew that the meeting was over. _ Less than forty-five minutes, things must have worked out the way Albus wanted, or they would most likely still be in there debating. _ Before I could get up to go and greet people, Cornelius was in my office, followed closely by Sirius, James, Amelia and Albus.

"What is the meaning of this?" he said, barging in, holding a piece of parchment that I didn't recognize.

"I have no idea, what is it that you're holding?" I asked him.

"An official release from the Council, stating that he abdicated and she is in the new head," he said pointing from Albus to Amelia. Cornelius was standing very close to my chair, looking down at me. I stood up and looked him in the eyes.

"Probably exactly what it says it is, however, since I was not in Council chambers, I cannot with certainty say that is indeed what you're holding, or what they debated," I said calmly.

"I know that you were behind this, you have been meddling in Council affairs of which you have no business being involved. How did you arrange this?" He said looking at me, and then looking back to leer at Albus. To his credit, Albus was holding his face very still, and showing no emotion.

"I don't meddle in Council affairs. I am the legal counsel to the chief Warlock, which if I am reading this correctly, would appear to now be Amelia. Albus chose to abdicate all on his own, and whatever decisions the Council chose to make, it was theirs alone to make," I said calmly. Cornelius Fudge looked like he was ready to explode. "How did the vote fall?" I queried, and James chose to reply.

"Eight to Five. Whiteborn sided with Malfoy, although I read that Lucius just recently invested a great deal of money in the Nimbus company," James explained. _Just about the lines that I thought they would fall on. Good choice in Amelia, there was really no reason for people not to vote for her, she wasn't a controversial choice._

"Now, just because Mr. Malfoy invested money in his company, does not mean that he was trying to buy his vote," Fudge said, getting defensive. I shook my head at him.

"No one was making such an implication. You're the one who brought up vote purchasing," I said, to which he got more flustered.

"Now you listen here missy, you can't go assuming just because someone donates a great sum of money that there is anything nefarious going on," he said, pointing his finger at me. I looked over at Sirius and I didn't like how red his face was getting. _Why is he taking anything that Fudge is saying to heart? I certainly am not._

"Cornelius, I have to be honest, I have many more things to worry about than what Mr. Malfoy is doing with his money. I have twelve day old twins at home, as well as two toddlers. And then," I said, my voice getting a tinge of sarcasm to it, "there is after all, a crazy dark Wizard running around England, trying to build back up his army," I said calmly. That seemed to be the breaking point. Cornelius turned the most violent shade of red, and the vein in his forehead began to throb.

"He's not back!" he roared at me.

"Cornelius, I know that you were given copies of my memories, and that King explained to you how I had them. I watched his resurrection, along with Harry. We haven't made those memories public knowledge for my safety, but they are part of the legal record of the events of June twenty-fourth," I told him.

"Those memories were created somehow, you couldn't have seen all the way from Hogwarts to Little Hangelton. It was some sort of pregnancy induced hysteria. If you weren't spending so much time popping out babies, your brain might be working right," he yelled at me. At this point, Amelia, James and Sirius all started yelling at him. I just stood there in shock, the Minister of Magic had just called me a liar and insulted my having children.

Everything then started moving in slow motion. I could see Sirius pulling back his arm, and James trying to get hold of him and push him away from the Minister. Albus and I both started yelling at him, but due to our commotion, Cornelius Fudge turned and faced Sirius just as he threw a punch and it connected with him, square on the nose. Blood started spurting out and he screamed. I immediately lifted my hand and healed his nose, but the damage was done. Fudge ran from the room, calling for the Aurors.

"Get him out of here, James. Don't take him straight home, in case they try to follow you," I said, and they started out toward the back lifts, away from the Auror end of the hallway. There weren't many of us who knew that they were there, but Sirius and I had used them often just before our wedding to avoid the press. I turned and looked at Albus and threw my arms up in the air. "What the hell has he done now? He's going to be charged with assaulting the Minster of Magic, which was recently made a crime worthy of a stint in Azkaban," I said, rubbing my palms against my temples.

"We'll repeal the law, the Council can do that. We'll also repeal the Media Shield law he put in place," Amelia said.

"We can't. Even if we repeal the assault bill, because it happened today, it will still be under the current guidelines. Repeals are not retroactive. And, if we want to repeal the Media Shield law, we have to erase the whole thing, and it was tacked onto a bill that gave children money for food. We can't take money away from children who lost their parents in magical catastrophes," I said, shaking my head and running my hands through my hair. "What am I going to do with him?" I asked rhetorically. Both of my friends knew enough not to answer the question.

"Let me talk with him, or see what King can do. Maybe we can make this whole thing disappear," Amelia said, and I nodded at her. "You should get going, before they want to question you. I'll cover for you, and hopefully you won't need to come in again until your eight weeks are over," she said smiling. "King and I will be over tomorrow to see those new ones, are you sure that dinner won't be a problem?" I shook my head at her.

"No, Molly Weasley is doing all of the cooking anyway, so a few more won't faze her. Albus, would you like to join us? Sirius might be out of the dog house by then." I asked and he smiled that knowing smile at me.

"I would be delighted. I believe that I owe my godson another lesson in exploding snap," he said and I shook my head.

"We'll see you then. Thank you," I said quietly before taking off for the back lift as well. I made it down to the lobby and quickly apparated to the Farm and then went in to use the floo back home, just in case someone tried to follow me as well.

When I got home, Sirius was on the back porch waiting for me. He had been expecting me to apparate home, and was surprised when I slipped out the back door and was standing behind him. I put my hand up, I didn't really want to hear his excuse.

"Don't. I don't want to talk right now. I have no idea what's happening, but King and Amelia are going to try and sort this all out, however, assaulting the Minister of Magic is a punishable offense, a minimum of six months in Azkaban. We spent four years trying to keep you out of there for a crime that you didn't commit, and now you could be sent there because of a reckless, stupid act," I was shaking I was so upset at him.

"Anwen, he insulted you and our family," he pleaded with me.

"So you had to swoop in and be all big protective man. Sirius, I am more than capable of taking care of myself in a situation like that. You have made things so much worse," I told him. "What am I supposed to do if you are arrested? How am I supposed to survive at home with four babies and their father in jail? What do you think it could do to my career?" I was so angry and hurt that I couldn't contain it any more. "Why can't you just think, once in a while, before you do something?" I yelled at him. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the floorboards of the back porch. I gave up, if he wanted to act like a child, I would need to treat him like one.

"You cannot leave the house until we get this straightened out. You have to be here, the Manor or the Farm – those are the only places where the Ministry won't be able to find you. I hope that I don't loose my job over this," I said quietly and then I walked past him toward the door. "You would be wise to leave me alone for a while," I said before I slipped into the house, and went up the stairs to our bedroom.


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: Thanks to my beta for getting this done quickly, and for all of you who read and review. The song for this chapter is "Vida La Viva" by Coldplay. I am not the owner of these characters and no copyright infringement is intended. Please let me know what you think, Mutt**

**Chapter 28:**

**Moodiness**

**Anwen POV:**

The summer had turned hot and humid, not that the house at number 12 Grimmauld Place felt that way. _It's a brilliant charm that James came up with, kept the house cool in the summer, warm in the winter – even the basement kitchen. I should pick him up a good bottle of Elf–made wine or some Firewhiskey to thank him for making this part of my life more bearable._ However comfortable the house was, I could not say the same for some of the occupants. I was growing increasingly frustrated with the attitudes of my husband and his godson.

Harry, for his part, was somewhat understandable in his mood. He had become withdrawn and a bit insolent. We had been working on processing what had happened in the graveyard, but his feelings of guilt over Cedric's condition, and his natural sense of uncertainty over what would happen next had made him nearly unbearable to be around. I had wanted to take him away, let him deal with all of this on his own, but he flatly refused. Our only hope was that his birthday next week would make things better. I was secretly thankful for the nights that his mother insisted that he go home.

She and I had been discussing his mood, and we both knew that his lack of sleep was part of the problem. We had both heard him awake and screaming and after several weeks of this behavior, the family decided that it would be best to put him on a mild sleeping draught. He couldn't stay on it forever, but it would help for the time being. It was at least one less thing that I had to worry about. I started climbing the stairs from the kitchen area, where I confirmed my itinerary with Lily who was there, brewing a potion with Hermione. I had about five minutes before I needed to floo over to the farm to meet with Remus for my trip into Diagon Alley.

Not unlike his godson, my husband had become nearly impossible to live with. He was moody, insufferable and angry that he couldn't leave the house to either work or do reconnaissance for the Order; he was relegated to research and more research. Sirius never enjoyed research. The only time that his mood seemed to lift from the cesspool that he was mired in was when he was with our children, or when he was with Molly, enjoying their newfound hobby.

I rounded the bannister on the first floor, passing the drawing room, and there sat Sirius and Molly, sharing the couch, watching the telly. Sirius had finally learned how to use the VCR that my parents had sent two years ago for Christmas, and they were engrossed in an episode of the soap opera, _Eastenders_. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was that they saw in it. At the moment, they were discussing who would be going to some charity function with whom. I popped my head in to tell them that I was leaving.

"Love, I'm going to be heading over to the farm, and then we're going to Diagon Alley. The kids are all down for their naps, and I left bottles in the ice box for the babies, when they wake up," I explained. He got up and walked over to me.

"I don't like you going by yourself," he said, his hands running up and down my arms.

"I'm not going by myself. Remus will be with me, and King is meeting us at Gringotts to escort me home. He also wants to try and keep any law enforcement personnel that we run into away from me. The Aurors refuse to arrest you on principle, and the fact that they are still peeved that I was canned last year. The warrant was then handed over to the hit squad – which for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Throwing a punch hardly seems like a magical catastrophe," I told him, to which he smiled.

"Fine, as long as you are well protected. I still wish that I could go with you," he whined, and I just looked at him.

"You would be going with me, if you could control your temper. Go enjoy your show thing there, and I will see you when I get home. I shouldn't be more than an hour," I told him and he nodded at me. He then took me in his arms and hugged me tightly.

"Don't forget to get the satchel from Targnof, I owled him this morning and told him that you would be picking it up, along with a sizable amount of money," he whispered in my ear. We had decided that we needed to keep more of our assets in a liquid form, and not only in Wizarding coins, but in Muggle Pounds and several other currencies. _I can only imagine what he had Targnof create, or where we now own a home. He went to such lengths during the last war, nothing would surprise me now. _I nodded against him, and he released me, kissing me sweetly.

"Molly, I'm doing the marketing while I'm out as well. Is there anything you want me to make sure I pick up?" I asked her, she shook her head at me. We had gone over the list this morning, but I wanted to confirm; feeding this many people on a regular basis was quite an undertaking, we were shocked just how much food we went through. Lily often felt guilty that we were feeding her family so much, that she baked at home and brought things over with her. We never knew what would show up when James and Lily came by.

I left the two of them to their show, and went up another flight of stairs. I was trying to avoid apparating in the house, the wards that we had put up on the third and fourth floors left me feeling woozy when I magically passed through them. As I got to the second floor, I could hear voices in the library. I saw Harry and Ginny sitting in the love seat by the fireplace, deep in conversation. I didn't want to intrude, but at the same time, I was interested in what they might be saying to one another. _ I do hope that Harry has finally taken my advice, and talked with her. I am quite sure that she could provide him with some relief through all of this._

"There's a lot that I don't remember," Ginny said. "Aunt Winnie did a really good job of helping me pack things up in my mind, and put them away," she explained. I was working on the same technique with Harry. "But, there are nights, that I wake up, shivering, remembering what it was like to lay on that cold, hard floor of the chamber. My muscles all tense, and they start to hurt. I sometimes think that my mind may have put away the memories of being cursed, but my body remembers anyway," she told him quietly.

"Ginny...." Harry started, and then stopped and took a deep breath, "....in that moment, when I was on the ground, and I didn't know if Cedric was alive or not, it hurt so bad, that I wanted to die. I couldn't think about my friends, or my parents or my little sister and brother, or anyone. I just wanted it to stop," he whispered to her.

"I know, I felt the same way," she said quietly. I peeked into the room, and she was hugging him, and he was returning the embrace. He had been shying away from touching anyone lately, and I was so glad to see him warmly holding the one person who could help him.

"Does it ever get better?" He asked her, still not letting go of her.

"It does. You know what helped me?" she asked him. The love seat creaked, and I figured that they had shifted away from one another. "You were there. Once there was someone else around me, it made it easier. And when I wake up at night, and I am so frightened, I remind myself that you found me once, and if anything ever happened to me again, you and Ron and Hermione and my family and your parents and Aunt Winnie and Uncle Sirius and Professor Lupin would come and find me. I'm not alone, and neither are you," she told him, her words slower and deliberate at the end, as if to emphasize them to him.

"I guess you're right. Hey, Ron's in with the twins right now, how about if you and I go out and fly around without him. You're serious about trying out for the house team?" he said, and I knew that the conversation was over. I didn't want to be seen, so I decided to brave the dizziness, and apparated myself into our bedroom to get my shoes and bag and then headed down the stairs to the floo fireplace and off to the farm.

"Did you leave anything in the produce section there, Winnie?" Remus asked me as we left the market on Diagon Alley.

"There were some spoiled peaches that I didn't buy," I teased him. "I miss the peach tree that was in the back of the little house in London," I told him. I had finished the marketing, and we had carefully charmed everything, and then put it into the single shopping bag that Remus was now carrying. I had a bag from the children's clothing store in my hand, where I had gone to get the kids some appropriate summer wear, and we were headed to the Spirits Store, before my appointment at the bank.

"You sure you want Liquor in the house? Given Sirius' mood, he might be a right nasty drunk," Remus asked as we walked in.

"It's not for him. I want to get a little thank you for James for the wonderful charm he put on the house. It is exceedingly comfortable inside. Also, Lily is having a girls' night tomorrow, and I think that a little wine will go a long way to making our night enjoyable," I told him. Lily, Tonks, Eira and I were going to have dinner at the Manor – without any children – and then dish on our men. I would just need to enjoy the wine, carefully, as I still was breast feeding the twins at least every other feeding.

"Alright then, purchase away," Remus said, smiling at me. I got an aged bottle of Ogden's for James and two bottles of French Elf–made wine for the girls' night and then headed for the bank.

"Your kids are growing so fast. I can't believe how much Lilyan is talking," he said as we walked back onto the crowded street. His comment made me laugh.

"You have no idea," I said. "She has a picture book of baby animals, and she does well with recognizing them; you know, cow, duck, pig, kitty; and she makes the sounds for each of them. And then we get to the puppy. She doesn't say puppy, or dog, she says Daddy," I told him, and he burst out laughing.

"That's great. She thinks that puppy dogs are called Daddy," Remus stopped and grabbed the side of the building because he was laughing so hard.

"Oh yeah, it's great. At some point she is going to learn that not everyone's Daddy turns into a doggie. I know that he loves his Animagus form, but really, does he need to do it so often. He gets hair all over the house and he smells so bad afterwards," I explained, but he was still laughing too hard. We made it to the end of the street, and I was surprised to find Kingsley was waiting on the steps for us.

"I though you were meeting us at the end of my business here?" I questioned my former partner.

"I was done early at work, and I thought that I would meet you here now. I can sit in the lobby if you would like," he suggested, but I shook my head at him.

"There's no need, although I don't think that you will be able to go with us to the vault. You have to be on the papers in order to go down. I'm sorry," I told him and he shook his head at me.

"You're sorry because there's security on your accounts? Really Anwen," he teased me, and I shrugged it off. We walked into the lobby, and I went to the counter, and told them that I had a meeting with Targnof. King took a seat while Remus and I were ushered into a private office off to the side. A moment later Targnof came in and we stood to greet him.

"Please, have a seat Mrs. Black. How are you today?" he asked me, and I smiled at him and sat back down.

"I am well, thank you for asking. How is your mate, Kinsdar? I was so happy when she wrote that she is with child," I said. They had sent us gifts for the babies, and included a quick note from them about their impending family addition.

"She is doing well, thank you for asking. I will let her know that you inquired after her. It will please her to no end. Shall we get down to our business?" he asked, and I nodded at him. "Here is the file that your husband requested, please let him know if he has any questions, he should contact us immediately," he said, sliding the valise across the table to me. I nodded at him. "Now, I have also taken care of the matter with the Diggory boy. St. Mungo's has been contacted, and his parents will be made aware of the Scandinavian Rehabilitation Hospital, and we will make arrangements for their needs as well as his to be taken care of while they are with him. Are you sure that you don't want them to know who is paying the bills?" he asked me. I looked over at Remus who was wearing the stoic face he wears when he's trying to hide his emotions. I looked back at our goblin liaison.

"I'm quite sure. Thank you though. You have set up the separate vault to cover his expenses, that is in no way traceable back to me," I wanted confirmation of this.

"We have, and funds will be taken from your private vault, Mrs. Black," I nodded at him.

"Thank you. Now, there are two other matters. My husband should have sent you a listing of the funds that he wished to have liquidated, and the currencies in which we wanted them. Is that prepared?" I queried.

"It is, as you are leaving the bank today, we will give you a special case which has the funds inside," he explained.

"I also need to go down to the vault. There are some things that I need to leave behind, and a few items that I wish to withdraw. Mr. Lupin is still on the accounts, correct? I would like him to come with me," I explained. Targnof looked at me, and nodded. We all stood and exited through a different door, and got into a little cart for the very long ride down to the Black Family vault. The vault didn't use a keyed lock, but instead, a magical one. Usually you had to wave your wand over it, but since I didn't use a wand, I just waved my hand and the door opened, and allowed Remus and I in.

The vault had three rooms. Fortunately, the room with our gold in it was off to the right. The center room that we walked into was where we stored, odd items, things we weren't sure what to do with, things in some cases that we didn't care about. The room to the left was where the family heirlooms were kept. I had only been in there once, my jaw dropped, and then I left again. The jewelry, china, crystal, silver and more was beyond anything that I could understand. We didn't need to go in there either.

Remus was walking around, looking at some of the items, but got really excited when he saw some of the books on the shelves. I told him to take whatever he wanted to read, and he quickly shrunk and pocketed several volumes. I removed the small bag I had been carrying around my wrist, and emptied it out. I then grabbed the two boxes of items that we wanted to review at home, and shrunk them and slid them into the bag.

"I'm finished. Are you ready to go?" I asked him, and he looked at me surprised.

"Really, you only took a few minutes. There is some really...odd stuff here," he said.

"I know, and some of it is still emitting dark magic. This place gives me the creepy crawlies. I think that some of the good things in here should go to Andromeda and Tonks, we have more jewels and heirlooms than we want or need. I should talk to Sirius about that," I told him, and he chuckled at me. "Come on, let's get you back home," he said, and we returned to the lobby, picked up Kingsley and my cash and headed home. Knowing how much money I was actually carrying, I was glad to have my rather brawny wizard escorts. When we got to the farm, Remus stopped me before I entered the floo.

"Anwen, I have never seen a goblin treat a human the way that Targnof treated you. What did you do to warrant such treatment?" he asked. I felt my brow furrow as I looked at him.

"Really? He's always been like that with Sirius and me," I paused to think about it. "He's been kind to me for years, since I started working with him while Sirius was in exile. Targnof and his mate have sent beautiful goblin made silver cups for each of the children on their births, and he is always very helpful," I explained.

"From talking with Bill Weasley last year, the goblins trust few humans, and don't have friendly relationships with them. You've got something rather remarkable there," he told me, and I looked down.

"My grandmother always told me to treat people the way you would want to be treated. I know many witches and wizards wouldn't consider goblins people, but I figure if I can talk with them, then they're people. Then again, my confidant is a werewolf, so..." I gave him a sly smile and he returned it.

"What you did for the Diggory's, that was very generous," he started, but I put my hand up to stop him.

"No, it's the right thing to do. We all find ourselves in situations that are trying and beyond what we could have ever imagined that we'd be in. That boy deserves every chance that he can be given, and right now, I have the means to help him; so I am. I haven't told Sirius, not that I think that he would disagree with me, but it's my account and I wanted to do this. Please, keep this between us," I asked him, and he gave me a gentle hug.

"You are remarkable, Anwen," he said to me and I sighed. _Not really Remus. Not really._

**Sirius POV:**

Anwen was out with the girls, so the guys and I were at our home, relaxing. We had met with Dumbledore earlier in the evening, and then went over what we would need to be working with Harry on, and now we were just sitting in my study, reminiscing over Firewhiskey and cigars. Anwen would have a fit if she came home and smelled the smoke, but I had made sure that it floated out of the open window, rather than up the stairs towards the bedrooms. Molly and Arthur had retired early, and we could hear that the older kids had settled down in their rooms as well. I had a few hours before the babies would wake up to feed.

"Do you remember the charm we put on the floor outside of Filch's office? Man, that was a great charm. Floor looked solid, but you could get stuck in it," I said, taking a long drag on the cigar. James was laughing.

"You know, if you had spent half as much time actually working on your course work as you did on that charm, you would have gotten all 'O's' on your NEWT's," he told me.

"Like I cared about my grades. I knew I wasn't ever going to have a real career anyway, I was perfectly happy just working for the Order. Now look at me, I'm locked in my own home, stuck doing the one thing that I hate – research," I complained. Remus was opening his mouth to say something, when we all heard the most interesting noise coming up from the floo fireplace. It sounded like my wife's singing voice, and yet, it sounded, off.

"Come on sis, let's get you up to bed," I heard Eira say, and I wondered why she was trying to get Anwen to bed. Anwen was singing, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was. I gave my fellow Marauders an inquisitive look and we all stood to see what was going on.

I walked over to the railing and looked down, there was Eira, trying to hold Anwen up. She was having a hard time walking. I quickly took off down the stairs, the guys behind me. When we got to the bottom of the stairs I started quizzing her sister.

"What the hell happened to her?" I asked.

"Um, that would be Elf–made wine. Your wife, my sister, she's drunk," Eira said, trying hard to contain a laugh. _Anwen, drunk. She never drinks enough to get drunk. What the hell happened tonight?_

"I'm not drunk," Anwen said, slurring her words, but hitting the last constant crisply. "I simply let my hair down," she said, trying to rake her fingers through her hair, but they got stuck. Eira helped her pull her hands out of her hair. I had to stifle a laugh at her. I took her in my arms, planning on carrying her upstairs, but she pushed herself away from me. "I'm fine," she said, poking me in the chest.

"No, my darling, you really aren't. Why did you drink so much? I don't remember you ever being drunk," I told her.

"I only get this way because of you," she slurred at me, and I looked at her shocked. "Um, I got like this the night that you all were finished with Hogwarts, and then again that week I got home from Greece. I'm surprised you never told him, you found me both times," she said, stumbling over to Remus. She was looking at him, puzzled.

"I really didn't think that he needed to know that you've gotten drunk, because he'd broken your heart," he said to her, looking at her very gently. _Okay, I knew that I had hurt her with the whole thing in Greece, but what the hell happened the night we finished school?_

"Oh," she said, looking like she was concentrating on something. "Thank you," she added and then hiccuped loudly. Remus couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and turned his head away from her.

"I'm going up to bed, you sure you've got her there Sirius," Eira asked me, and I nodded at her and she snuck upstairs.

"What were you talking about tonight, that made you feel the need to get drunk?" James asked her, and Anwen walked over to James and put her hands on her hips and looked at him.

"All of you," she mumbled, making a rather ugly face. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to us?" I had no idea what she was talking about, and by the looks on James and Remus' faces, neither did they.

"You need to be more romantic with your wife, she's very sad right now," she said, looking at James. He looked down at her, like he was looking at someone he'd never seen before. "She doesn't think that you want her anymore, which is crazy because your wife is beautiful," Anwen was shaking her head, and her hair was flying everywhere. "And, she wants another baby, so you had better get on that, her biological clock is ticking rather loudly. Don't be an arse James, treat her better, she's my best friend," Anwen told her. And we were all having a hard time stifling a laugh at her. Remus was particularly cheerful.

"And you," she said turning to look at Remus, "you need to get laid," she said and James and I both coughed in laughter. _We've been telling him that for years. _"You have to be the only man on the planet that has a beautiful woman throwing herself at you, and what do you do? You run the other way, you overprotective," she poked him in the chest, "worrywart," another poke, "git," and another poke. "Both Ewan and the healers at St. Mungo's have told you that you can't pass the infection on that way, unless you're sleeping with her when you're a wolf, which would just be demented and yucky. But noooooo, you can't get near the girl," she said, throwing her arms around wildly to the point where I was afraid that she might fall over. She stopped moving and put her hands on his shoulders. "Go and have a good shag, or you might loose the woman you love. I love you, you're like a brother, but you're being an idiot here," she mumbled at him, and I could barely keep from laughing. Then my wife turned on her heel, and looked at me.

"And you, my dear, beloved, bound husband, you are driving me crazy. It's not bad enough that we have four very small children. I spend my entire day feeding, cleaning, burping, washing, little kids. My boobs are shot to hell, Sirius, from being pregnant and feeding all of them," she whined at me. _Actually, I kind of liked the way they are now, but I don't think I should tell her that. "_Now, we've opened our house up and we have all of these people living here, so there are folks in and out of our home at all times of the day and night, and we have no privacy. Plus, now I have to deal with having a whiny, petul..."she trailed off, and her face got deep into looking at something. "Petul..., oh hell, spoiled husband. I don't need another child, I need my husband back." She looked at me, and I didn't want to laugh anymore, I could see the hurt in her eyes. We all stood there for a moment, and then she announced, "And now, I need the loo, because I am afraid that I'm going to be sick," she said. I quickly picked her up and carried her to the first floor loo, and James and Remus took it as their cue to leave.

When Anwen was done, I carried her upstairs and put her to bed. She was sleeping before I laid her down. In the morning, I was relieved that Lily had sent a hangover potion for her. I charmed the room, so that when she awoke, I would be able to go up and take care of her. When the charm alerted me to her movement, I left the kids with Molly in the kitchen and headed upstairs to see my wife. She was dragging herself back to the bed.

"Are you okay?" I whispered as I walked into the room.

"No," she said. "What the hell was I thinking. I'll have to pump and dump today, because I can't feed the twins," she mumbled, climbing back into bed. "Drunk one–month–olds isn't very funny," she said slowly.

"Here, drink this," I said, handing her the vial that Lily had sent over. She nodded, and then uncorked and swallowed down the potion. "How bad was I last night? I feel like I've been run over by a dragon," she moaned, climbing back under the sheets and pulling them over her head.

"You weren't bad, but you were honest. I can't wait to see what Prongs and Moony have to say about what you had to say last night." She groaned and slammed the pillow.

"Now, just lay there and listen to me," I told her, and she grunted an understanding. "I am so very sorry that I have been difficult to live with. It was wrong of me to take this out on you. I think that we should go out and stay at the farm for a while, just our family. The Weasleys and Eira can stay here, or Eira can come with us, but we need to be a family for a while, without having our lives on parade. Would that help you?" I asked her. I had already talked with Remus, and he agreed, even though he didn't use the main house at all. He would be going to the Manor for his changes while we were in the main house.

"Yes," she whined, and started crying. I climbed into bed and held her, knowing that the potion would start taking effect soon.

"And Winnie, the next time that you're feeling overwhelmed, promise you'll talk with me, before you go and get drunk, please," I begged her and she nodded against me.

**Anwen POV:**

A few weeks passed, and we were settled in out at the farm. It was much easier for our family to be alone, and the house was truly comfortable and peaceful. Harry had celebrated his birthday a few days ago, and against the wishes of James and me, Lily was taking her children to see her sister. They would all be portkeying over to Surrey this afternoon to go to the park with Petunia and Dudley. _I couldn't figure out for the life of me why she was giving her sister yet another chance, I just hoped that this time, she wouldn't get her heart broken. She is happy though, that she gets to spend some time with Harry away from everyone._ Ginny had spent the night, and she and I were in the back yard, playing with the kids.

"Lilyan, you're such a big girl now, come on," she said. Lilyan was on Ethan's training broom. Ethan was running around the backyard with a ball, practicing kicking it. Auntie Eira was determined that he would play Muggle sports as well. Lilyan flew towards Ginny and then zoomed around her. "Good job Lilyan, I think you're going to be a chaser like your Mummy, or maybe a seeker like Harry," she said, scooping our oldest daughter up and hugging her before setting her back down on her broom again. The twins were sleeping on a blanket in the shade in the back of the house. Sirius came walking out, feet bare, carrying a big pitcher of lemonade and glasses for us all.

"Look at how well she's flying, Anwen, she's a natural, just like her beautiful Mummy," he said, leaning down to kiss me. Things were definitely better between us now; both being at the farm and the return to our normal sex life. I had, however, taken control of doing the contraceptive charms. _I would like a full year where I went without being pregnant, maybe longer._ "Love, why isn't Ethan wearing any pants?" he asked me, I looked up at him and giggled.

"I'm potty training him, love," I explained. Ethan was running around half naked in our backyard, with the small plastic potty on the edge of the grass. "It will only take a few days this way, trust me. When he has an accident, I can hose him down, and you only pee on your leg a few times before you figure it out. I wouldn't have been able to do this at Grimmauld," I told him, pouring myself some lemonade.

"But, Ginny's here," he said, and I burst out laughing.

"And you somehow think that with six brothers, she's never seen what a boy looks like, really? They've only got one bathroom at the Burrow," I questioned him. "Look, I can stop this, but, that will mean that you will have to do it this fall when I go back to work." He immediately shook his head at me.

"Go ahead, do it your way, if it means I don't have to do it." I smiled at him.

We grilled out on the patio for dinner. Eira came over when she was done with work. She was taking a few days off at the end of the week, and would be visiting Romania, and Charlie, for a long weekend. She wanted to talk with Ginny about something and then took to reading in the lounge. We had given her Liddy's old bedroom to stay in whenever she wanted. She was family, it wasn't a problem to have her here. After dinner was done and we had cleaned up, I then took the twins upstairs to bathe them and get them ready for bed. Ginny was playing outside with Ethan and Lilyan, chasing the lightning bugs as they fluttered across the lawn. She was headed back to Grimmauld soon, although she could live with us all summer and I wouldn't have cared.

I laid the twins down in the same crib, looking at one another, in the bedroom that had been Eira's when she was a baby. I knew in my head that sometime soon, they would need their own cribs, but they truly did sleep better when they were together. Sirius came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me behind my ear.

"We made some rather beautiful babies, didn't we love," he whispered. I loved watching the way that Jamie would suck on her tongue as she slept, and John would find his fingers and put them in his mouth.

"That we do, but, I don't want to make any more for a while," I said back to him, rubbing his hands with mine.

"That doesn't mean that we can't spend some time remembering how those babies got here," he said, his lips trailing down my neck.

"Let me get the big kids into bed, and," I sighed aloud at how good his lips felt on my neck, "and then we have all night dear," I told him, turning around. I kissed him deeply, and delighted as our tongues danced with each other. I broke the kiss, and told him I would be back in about a half an hour, when I was interrupted on my way out into the backyard by Moony.

"Anwen, where's Sirius?" he asked me.

"He's upstairs. Why? What's wrong?"

"We need to get to the Manor, emergency family meeting. Is there someone who can watch the kids?" he asked me and I nodded at him.

"Yes, Eira is inside reading, and Ginny's, well right here," I said, since Ginny had run over and was coming to stand next to him. "Do we know what happened?"

"James only said that Harry's been expelled," he told us. Ginny gasped and I just shook my head.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: Yup, we've worked in another one of those canon moments, but again, it will be handled a little differently by Harry's family. In this chapter, we also explore Occlumency. It's something that's very important to the books, and yet, JK never really went into what it looked or felt like, or how it was done. This is our take on it, and I hope that you like it. I know that several of you enjoyed Anwen's little tirade in the last chapter, there is an outtake of James and Remus response to it. If you'd like to read it, please take the time to review here and make sure that I can either respond or PM you, so that I can give it to you. Also, I started posting "Knots", my other HP story. It's completely different from this one, and features toddler Harry. Anyone who is an H/G shipper will like it, they're enamored with each other from the moment Ginny is born. Okay, enough blithering on here. The song for this chapter: "Question of Time" by Depeche Mode. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Mutt**

**Chapter 29:**

**Pushed Back**

**Sirius POV:**

Anwen sent her patronus up to me, and within moments, we were flooing over to the Manor. The house was in an uproar. Lily was trying to calm Evan and Emma down, both of whom were crying and damp. James was talking with Harry, and the telephone was ringing off the hook. Anwen went over to help Lily, who picked up the receiver, looked at the caller ID, and then put the phone back down.

"I refuse to talk to that oaf again. He swore at me, after I had healed his son and told them how to treat his shock from the Dementor attack. What a git," she said. I could only assume from the bits and pieces of the conversation that I had heard, that she was talking about her brother-in-law. I went to stand with Remus, James and Harry. James thrust a letter into my hands.

"Arthur was at the Ministry when this happened, so they took it up to him to have it delivered to us, since the only owls that can get through the wards are ours," he said. I opened the letter, and started reading. _Harry did the Patronus charm, in front of Muggles – guess that would be his aunt and cousin – and they are suspending him. Great. Well, at least they can't destroy his wand, if they can't find him or his house._ "What happens next?" I asked, but before anyone could answer me, Albus' phoenix Patronus flew in from outside.

"Anwen, Amelia and I need you at the Ministry, right away," the bird said, and then dematerialized into nothing. Anwen rolled her eyes, waved her hand over her body, and was instantly in her official solicitors robes. "So much for my maternity leave," she quipped. "I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised, and then stepped into the floo and took herself to Grimmauld Place. She would apparate from the yard there, as she still wouldn't apparate over long distances, made her too lightheaded after giving birth to the twins.

The little kids seemed to be calming down, and Lily decided to run them upstairs for a quick bath and then to bed. James then suggested that we all sit down, and have Harry describe the events of tonight. We went into the lounge and all sat down.

"Mum had this silly idea that we needed to visit Aunt Petunia and that idiot son of hers, Dudley. It was the worst picnic I've ever been on, and I really hope that she doesn't want to do it again. He kept trying to take Evan's food. I mean really, who steals from a 4 year old," he said, sounding disgusted at him. "Anyway, it was getting dark, and we needed to be heading back. We were going to take the return Portkey to Grimmauld and the floo home from there, since we had Evan and Emma with us, and I can't apparate, legally, even though you've been teaching me how." We had started apparition lessons with Harry after the events in the graveyard. Much easier to deal with the consequences of apparating without a license than dealing with Voldemort.

"So, we're saying goodbye, and Aunt Petunia is being all weird with Mum, and then the sky gets dark and it starts getting cold. I look at Mum and she's trying to pack things up quickly and hold onto the little kids, and then things went dark, and the kids were yelling because they couldn't find Mum, and Aunt Petunia was yelling to find Dudley, and he was whimpering like a little baby," he added with an eye roll. "That's when I felt them. I yelled to Mum that I thought there were Dementors, but I don't think that she could hear me, and I got scared. When one got hold of me, I was sure that was the end, and then I realized that this was the kind of stuff you'd been training me for, and I got my head together.

"I did the Patronus charm, and then Mum did hers. We scared them off, but the thing had already come after Dudley, and he was a bit of a mess. Mum shrunk all the picnic stuff and put it in her purse, and then she grabbed Emma and told me to get Evan. Aunt Petunia had Dudley, and we walked the few blocks back to her house," he said.

"Uncle Vernon didn't know that they were with us, he was working late. When he saw us he threw a fit. I wouldn't want to make him angry, he's as nasty as one of Hagrid's blast ended skrewts, but Mum got Dudley all sorted out, and then explained that he needed to eat Chocolate every half hour for the next two hours, and she grabbed the kids and we held onto the Portkey and came home. Mr. Weasley brought the letter only a few minutes later, and then you all showed up," Harry concluded his story.

"Why the hell were there Dementors in Little Whinging?" I asked.

"Who would have sent them, that's a hell of a long way from Azkaban?" Remus added.

"I don't know, but if they aren't under the control of the Ministry anymore, then..." James trailed off. We didn't need to think about that right now, but I knew that if it was the case, then my plan to keep my family safe might need to be implemented sooner, rather than later. We all sat there in stunned silence, until Lily came back downstairs.

"Have we heard anything?" she asked as she walked into the room.

"Not yet. Although Harry did tell us that your sister and her family are as delightful as ever," I told her, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"I don't know why I keep trying. She's blind, her husband is a buffoon, and her son is on his way to being imprisoned for being a thug. I will never, ever, expose our children to them, again," she said, going over and sitting with James on the love seat. He put a protective arm around her, and we once again started waiting for Anwen and Albus. Time seemed to drag on, and I decided that I would fire call to the farm to make sure that Eira and Ginny were alright with the kids.

"Sirius, we're fine. The twins are sleeping soundly, and we bathed and put Ethan and Lilyan to bed. Ginny even read them their goodnight stories, doing the voices and everything. We're fine here. The only thing is, Anwen was going to feed the babies when they wake up, but I doubt you'll be back. Do you want me to just make bottles, or do you want one of us to bring them over when they wake?" Eira said, her face dancing in the flames.

"Bring them over, actually, let Ginny do it. I know she's worried about Harry," I said quietly, not wanting him to hear. We all knew how Ginny felt about Harry, and we also had figured out that Harry was as dense about what he was feeling toward her. _Maybe we can help him along in all of this, because she is perfect for him, plus there is the whole Potter men and redheads thing, _I thought as I looked over at James and Lily sitting on the couch. "Just let us know before she comes through, to make sure that someone is here to help her with the twins," I said, and Eira nodded.

"No problem, bro," she said with a silly smile on her face. I had really come to like Eira, she was funny and easy going and a real joker in her own right. _Come to think of it, she's the only one in Anwen's family who always liked me, even when she was like 2._ Eira's face dissolved and I backed away from the fireplace. As I walked back to my arm chair, I noticed Harry. He was curled up on the end of the couch, looking at his wand.

"What happens to me if they do expel me?" he asked quietly.

"Well, you'd be home schooled," James started. "Look, we already tutor you on all of your subjects, teaching you things that they don't at school, or on things that are beyond the curriculum, we'd just pick up the slack. Face it, we're almost as good, if not better in some cases, than the Hogwarts staff. We've just kept you at school for the social aspect," James told him, and Remus and I nodded.

"I would be happy to have you at home. There is no way that Voldemort could get you here, and that would be fine with me," his mother added and Harry rolled his eyes at her.

"But Mum, what about my friends, and Quidditch, and..." he trailed off.

"Yes, Harry. It would be hard, your friends would all be back at school, and you wouldn't be able to play on a house team, but that doesn't mean that you can't play at all. We'd just have to be creative about it," I told him. "But you're concerned, because the dating opportunities would dry up," I suggested and he turned bright red. _Ha, hit the nail on the head. Now, is he thinking about that girl that Cedric was dating, or is he thinking about Ginny?_

"Uncle Sirius, that's not it..." he said, burying his head. We all broke out laughing at him.

"Harry, you can't lie to me about girls," I told him, and everyone else started laughing, and Harry turned an even more violent shade of scarlet.

"Look, we know this isn't what you would have chosen, but if they do expel you, your alternative isn't so bad. Come on, you'd have your Mum for potions rather than Snape," Remus reminded him, and he smiled at that.

"Alright, that would be an improvement. And, you could teach me Defense again, you were the best teacher we had. And Aunt Winnie, she's really good at, well, everything. Is there anything that she can't do?" he asked me, and something that my wife had said years ago popped into my head.

"Milk a cow," I replied, and everyone looked at me, puzzled. "The farm was actually a dairy farm that her parents owned, and she never learned to milk a cow. She would get kicked by the cows," I told them. Everyone started laughing.

"Well, since I don't plan on being a dairy farmer, guess I don't need to worry that she can't do that," Harry said sarcastically. Just then the floo opened up, and Anwen walked out.

"Sorry it took me so long," she apologized. "Fudge was there," she said shaking her head. "Okay, Harry, you're not expelled," she told him, and he made a whooping sound and jumped up to hug her. "You do have a hearing on the twelfth of August, and there are a few stupid rules that they have imposed, but, we should be fine. Professor Dumbledore and I will take care of everything, I just want you to be honest with me and then with them. Okay?" I asked him and he nodded at me. "Look it's late, we'll talk tomorrow about this," she told him and he nodded. Lily rose and walked over to her son and held him tightly.

"I knew everything would be okay, you're going to be fine, I just know it Harry," she told him. "Why don't you head up to bed," she suggested, and he nodded at her.

"Hey, before you do that, why don't you fire call or floo over to the farm to see Ginny. She was really worried about you, I think she'll feel better if she knows everything is alright," I told him and he looked a little confused, and then nodded. I looked at James and he suddenly seemed to understand.

"Go on son, but be back in 15 minutes. We are still running in the morning, and I think that Aunt Winnie has something she wants to work on starting tomorrow," and Winnie nodded at him.

"Got it, I'll be right back," he said, and went through the floo. Anwen looked at me, puzzled, so I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Just think that Ginny might need a little help to make him see the light," I told her and she smiled at me.

"So tell me, what happened with Fudge?" I asked her, and she motioned for us all to sit down. I went over to the couch and she followed. "After we dealt with this, mess," she said grumpily, "he wanted to talk to me about you," she leaned her head down on my chest, and sighed. She looked so very tired now. "He wanted to know if I had seen you, and I told him that I had indeed seen you, since we're married and we live together. Duh," she added, and we couldn't help but laugh at her little epithet.

"Anyway, he wanted to know why I hadn't brought you in to be arraigned. I told him, that since I wasn't an Auror, it wasn't my responsibility to do so. I then told him, that when he was able to come through our front door to serve the warrant, I'd be more than happy to escort you to the Ministry," she said confidently. _No one can find our home unless we want them to, even with us staying out at the farm._

"Look, before he comes back, you have to know the terms we agreed to in order for Fudge to back down on the immediate expulsion. First, his office gets to call the meeting, although we insisted that Amelia be the one who presides over it," she sighed as she said it. _If this is where she's starting the bad news..._ "He's already intimated that he wants more than the standard 5 person committee to hear the case," she groaned. "And, none of you can be in the court room," she whispered, knowing full well that we would explode. "Look, before you start, listen to me. He didn't want anyone who was 'involved' being there to support Harry, that's why Albus and I will do it. King is going to come by tomorrow to take your statement, Lily, and it will be presented into evidence by him. That's good. He's well respected and known for being thorough" she explained and Lily nodded at her.

"By insisting on this stupid rule, he keeps you out," she said pointing at James, " because you're his Dad. And he keeps Lily out, because she was there," she explained further. "Arthur can't be part of the panel, because he delivered the letter, and you," she said turning to me, "can't be part of it, because they want to throw you into Azkaban. Thankfully, they can't throw either Albus or me out, so he'll have us. I'm sure that this will all blow over in no time, and Amelia is fair and just, she has to see that he's covered by the Statutes for Reasonable Underage Sorcery," she concluded, and I could see that we all felt better knowing that Anwen was working on this.

"I think that we should refrain from talking with Harry about this. He's having a hard enough time as it is, I'll prepare his defense, and let Albus argue it. I think we," she said, indicating all of us, "should just get on with our summer studies with him, and I will start with true Occlumency lessons," she told us, and we all nodded at her.

Harry walked back out of the fireplace, exactly 15 minutes from the time that he had left. "Glad you sent me over there, she had bitten off all of her fingernails worried about this stupid thing. She wanted me to tell you that the twins had woken up, and you should head home to feed them," he added, looking at Anwen. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Thanks, now you get some rest, and be at the farm at 10 am sharp. Bring your broom too, and we can do some flying when we're done, if you want," she added, and he smiled the first real smile I had seen in a while from him.

"That would be awesome, thanks Aunt Winnie, 'night," he said, taking off for the stairs. I could have sworn that we all breathed a collective sigh as he bounded off to bed, much happier than he had been only a few hours ago.

"Come on, I need to get home and feed the twins, I'm about ready to burst," Anwen said, and Lily laughed, while James and Remus just looked at her surprised. I kissed her on the temple, because I loved it when she made them uncomfortable, just by her being, her.

**Anwen POV:**

"Okay, Harry, you've had a few weeks to pack up the memories, and put them away. What I am going to do now, is go into your mind, and make sure that they are indeed hidden. I promise that I won't hurt you in any way, and if I come up against any resistance, I won't push. If I do something that bothers you or makes you uncomfortable, please, please tell me, and I'll stop right away. Okay?" I asked him and he nodded at me. "You trust me, right?" I asked and he nodded again.

"Alright, close your eyes, and think about just staying relaxed. I'm going to go see if I can find any of your memories from the graveyard. I've been over all of your memories, so I know what I'm looking at," I explained, and he nodded for a final time before closing his eyes. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as well. I pictured Harry, and then the essence of his magic, and then in my mind, I pictured myself opening a door and walking through his magic.

I was always amazed when I did Legilimency, how different the minds of different people looked. The first mind that I entered had been Albus'. He had taught me Occlumency and Legilimency, and he was my first subject. I loved his mind, it resembled a large library with neatly ordered stacks of books. Some of the cases were locked, others could be pulled out and reviewed. I would practice on Sirius when I was in Greece, and he had the most disordered mind I think I would ever encounter. It was a little like the garage at the little house in London, stuff just thrown in, hoping that he would never need it again. The only memories that seemed to be cared for were those of his friends and me. I hadn't been in it for years, and I wondered if it had changed at all.

I had been in minds that were like forests, oceans, caves, bank vaults, drawers and the like. I had learned that nothing should surprise me. Ginny's mind however, had, because hers was identical to her home. She had placed her memories in the rooms of the Burrow. Her mother's were all in the kitchen, and the ones that she wanted to keep private, she had locked away in the china cabinet. Her whole family was this way, her brothers in their rooms, Hermione in the lounge with all of the family books, her dad out in his shed. Harry was actually in the paddock where they would play Quidditch. It was such an innocent way to keep ones mind, and also very sweet.

With everything that Harry had been through, I wasn't sure what I would find. The magical mist I walked through materialized into a room, and I was pleased to find that it looked like a Quidditch locker room. Each person who was important to him, had their own locker; and depending on how important they were, that was how much security they had been given. I began exploring, very gently. There were no locked memories when it came to his mother, and only a few for his father. I laughed to myself at how he saw his godfather and meI. I walked through the locker room, and was pleased to find nothing resembling the aftereffects or lingering concerns over Voldemort's return. I was slightly concerned, that hanging there on the wall, was a picture of Cedric, with the caption 'never forget' hanging below it; but I also knew that in time, and as the other young man's health returned, Harry would allow his guilt to abate. I walked down the room farther, and things became less orderly, and there were many more locked doors. At the very back of the room, I came across another door, much like the one that I had visualized as I entered Harry's mind. I wasn't sure what this was, I had never seen one before, and I had been in the minds of many, many people.

"Harry, are you alright?" I asked him. I didn't want to proceed without making sure that this was alright.

"I'm fine. Are you even in my mind?" Harry asked me, and I exhaled loudly.

"Yes, I'm there. You've done a great job. We'll talk about it in a minute. There is just one other thing I want to check out, okay?" I asked again, wanting his permission.

"Sure, you're not bothering me," he said nodding. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and I visualized myself reaching for the door. I opened it, and a gust of freezing cold air blew out at me, and I could see that there was a long hallway beyond the door. I took a step inside and started down. It was pitch black, and I imagined that I was holding a torch so that I could have some light. As I neared the end, I could see walls, and stairs, and broken bits of wood and glass. I didn't like how I was feeling, and in no way did this seem to reflect Harry. As I was about to take the final step, so that I was out of the tunnel, I felt myself blasted back. I flew back through the tunnel, through the locker room and out of Harry's mind. My body was sailing backwards as well, and I stopped when my back hit the wall on the opposite side of the lounge. The wind was knocked out of me, and my back was screaming in pain. I quickly looked at Harry, and he was on the floor, clutching his scar.

I raised my hand and sent a patronus to Sirius, who was in the yard with Remus and the kids. He came running in, and rushed to my side.

"What happened?" he asked, his hands stroking my face.

"I don't know, I was in Harry's mind, and I ran into something, and it threw me out. My back, I need you to check my back," I told him, the pain was excruciating.

"I'm not good with healing spells, let me get Remus in here," he said. Quickly I saw two patronuses fire from his wand, and he was again cradling me. Remus ran in the house and looked confused by the scene.

"Come and check Anwen's back, I'll look at Harry," he said, and Remus knelt down next to me.

"Who's with the kids?" I asked him. Remus chucked at me.

"Hermione is here, looking through the garden for Herbology samples, she's with the kids in the yard. What happened and where does it hurt?" he asked and I explained what had happened. He ran his wand over me and told me that it was nothing serious. Lily quickly came through the floo, with a case of potions in her hand. _His mind might be disorganized, but at least he had the sense to call the one person who would be able to help. _ Lily quickly surmised that I was only bruised, and left me with the correct healing potion and then gave Harry one for his headache. After all of the commotion calmed down, I went to talk with him.

"Harry, did you push me out of your mind?"

"No. I didn't feel anything, and then my scar felt like it was ripped open, and you were on the floor across the room. I'm really sorry," he said. I took his hand.

"You didn't do anything. Tell me, has your scar ever felt like this before?" _ Please say no, please say no._

"Yeah, um, it was like the night he came back," he told me quietly. _ Anwen, you can't let him know what you're thinking here. Keep a straight face, come on you're an actress after all._

"Okay, well, maybe I just brushed up too close to those memories. We'll try this another day, and I'll make sure that I have lots of pillows around. Why don't you go outside and fly a little, just not too high, don't want to you fall. You Mum would be quite put out if you did," I told him and he got up and walked out of the room. I walked out to the patio, and the rest of the adults were sitting there. I looked at Remus and gave him the look that we shared when we needed to discuss things away from everyone else. _ I may share my life with Sirius, but when I need to process, I talk with Remus._

"Anwen, come on over to my lab, I think I have a salve that will keep those bruises from getting too dark," he said, providing us with the cover for a private conversation. I nodded at him and we walked off. I had no idea what I had just encountered, but in my gut, I knew that it wasn't good.

I pulled my memories out, and gave them to Remus for the pensive he kept in his lab. It was smaller than the one that Albus had up at the school, much more the size of the ones Aurors used when they had to replay memories in order to file reports. He reviewed everything up to the point that I got thrown out of Harry's mind. When it was done, he blew his breath out slowly.

"That was," he stopped. "I don't even have words. Do you have any ideas what that was?" he asked me.

"Um, if it made his scar hurt, it had to be Voldemort. But what I can't figure out is, how was that passage there? You can move from my mind to Sirius', and back again; but that makes sense, since we are magically bound. Does that mean that Harry is bound in some way to Voldemort? If he is, when did this happen? Binding is powerful magic, and permanent," I stammered out. The gravity of what we were discussing was dawning on me, and I suddenly had the urge to be sick. I stumbled over to the desk and sat down, putting my head in my hands.

"Calm down, Anwen. We don't even know what that was. Clearly, we need to do some research," he said, and I nodded at him. "Do you think we should tell Lily and James?" he asked me, I started shaking my head at him rather violently.

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here. It's been so much for them already, to find out this, on top of everything else... it wouldn't be fair," I said quietly. "Anyway, he's got enough to deal with due to this stupid hearing," I reminded Remus.

"Fair enough, but I think that we need to take this to Dumbledore. He might be able to make some sense out of it," he told me and I nodded at him.

"I'll do it tomorrow. I'm meeting with him to work on my astral projections. It won't be hard to mention this then," I told him and he was once again nodding. "Why does it feel like the whole game just changed again?" I asked my friend, and he just looked at me bewildered.

**Sirius POV:**

I looked at my wife, sitting balled up on our bed at the farm. She'd had a hectic few days: the Dementor attack on Monday night, her little accident with Harry on Tuesday, lessons with Dumbledore on Wednesday morning, and then the Order meeting tonight. She was holding a cup of tea between her hands, I think it was more there as a prop rather than for her to drink. She hadn't taken a sip from it in quite a while. I walked over and climbed onto the bed next to her.

"What was it that your Ma used to say, 'Penny for your thoughts'?" I asked her, and she smiled at my use of a Muggle saying.

"Yup, that was it," she said, and then she sighed. "I can't figure all of this out. Severus said that old moldy was as surprised by the Dementor attack as we were, which means he couldn't have sent them. If he didn't, then who would have had the ability to do so?" she said, still looking off into space, holding her coffee cup. "It would have had to come from somewhere within the Ministry, and I doubt that we can handle a two pronged attack – Harry can't do battle with the Ministry and Voldemort," she surmised. "Then, there's his pushing me out of his mind like that, it doesn't make sense. He told me that I wasn't hurting him. Albus wasn't much help either. I feel really helpless right now, like my brain just can't make these things work," she sounded so frustrated. I hated to see her like this. "I've got the defense nearly completed, it wasn't hard at least, Dementors constitute a reasonable threat. I'll be glad when this crap is over next week," she said. _We all will dear._

"You're astral projection lessons are going well. That's something," I suggested and she nodded feebly at me.

"Right now though, I just want to shut my mind off, and sleep. I'm so tired," she complained and I took that as my cue. I pulled my sweet wife into the space between my legs and shifted her hair aside and started to rub her shoulders. She sighed and I could feel the tension starting to leave her. "You may do that as long as you want," she moaned and I smiled behind her. My arms slid down her and I wrapped them around her waist. I rested my chin on her shoulder and put my lips to her ear.

"You know, there are lots of ways to relax, love," I whispered in her ear. She turned her head toward me, her lips curled slightly upward.

"You read my mind," she answered me, and I could feel her desire course through me.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: Hi everyone. Couple of quick things, as of yesterday, this story and the one that follows are finished. I am about halfway done uploading this one, so you can be reading and bout Anwen and Sirius for a long, long time. I also started uploading my new story this week, called "Knots", it's on my author page, and while it does involve Sirius, it's a much darker and sadder story. This chapter is my take on how Umbridge ended up teaching at Hogwarts, and the song for the chapter is : "Teach Your Children Well" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Thanks for reading and taking the time to tell me what you think of the story. Mutt**

**Chapter 30:**

**Hogwarts again?**

**Anwen POV:**

"Well, that was actually easier than I thought it would be," I told Harry as we were walking back to my office. I had left his mother, father, Remus, Arthur and Eira there while we were down for his hearing. Albus had to take off to go back to Hogwarts, and I was headed to go and see him once everyone else knew the outcome of Harry's hearing.

"Easy? That was easy? There were so many people there, it was awful. Easy for you maybe, but I thought that I was going to piss my pants," he said to me quietly. I couldn't help but giggle at him.

"Okay, fine, it was arduous, but the outcome was what we wanted. Your charges were dismissed, and Amelia is going to release a general bulletin to that effect," I told him and then I quieted my voice, "and they will have to publish it in the paper. So happy that I found that loophole in the rules that Fudge set up," I added in a way that only he could hear. We rounded the corner, and his mother was anxiously pacing the hallway between my office and Amelia's.

"Well, what happened?" she said, coming and grabbing Harry into a fierce hug. Her question alerted everyone else in the room to our presence.

"The charges were dismissed, and Madame Bones is releasing a statement to that effect," Harry explained and they all had words of joy and relief at the statement. "Hey, I thought all of you were sure this would happen, why all the celebrating?"

"It's just good that it worked out how we wanted it to, son," his father said as he embraced his Harry. Arthur and Eira both told him congratulations, and then they quickly headed back to their offices. Remus hugged Harry and then asked him to tell about the hearing. Before Harry could start, I held up my hand.

"As much as I would like to let all of you talk here, I need to be going, which means that I need to close up my office. I am still technically on Maternity leave, and I would like to get out of here before someone comes up with something else that they need me to do," I told them and everyone nodded. "Anyway, Sirius is probably pulling his hair out now, and Ginny has bitten her nails to the quick. Why don't you all head to headquarters and let them know what happened," I suggested and they acquiesced.

"Party at home tonight," Lily said, and I nodded at her.

"Let Sirius know, I don't know how long I'll be up at Hogwarts today. Tell him I'll Patronus later when I have a better handle on what's going on," I told them, and James looked at me concerned.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I can't tell you, not just yet anyway. I might have more to tell you later. Lil, you want me to bring anything?" I asked her, but she shook her head no. "All right then, lets be off. Avoid the press and use the back way okay, I'll talk to them on my way out. That silly Skeeter woman is frightened of me anyway. You going to tell Arthur and Eira, or should I send them an interdepartmental memo?"

"I'll stop on my way out," Remus said. "They can take Harry to HQ and I will meet them there in a while. People tend to keep their distance from me, especially this close after a full moon," he said with a crooked smile. He was all wolfy only two days ago.

"Okay, thanks. I really need to be leaving," I told them. I was actually on a bit of a tight schedule. We all left the floor, taking off for the two sets of lifts. I dealt with the press downstairs, basically telling them that an official press release would be released from Amelia, as head of the Wizengamot, within the hour. _Why the hell was the darned thing in front of the whole Wizengamot. That was an honor usually held for the worst major crimes, not underage magic. And that darned Umbridge woman, she was making life difficult again – what a shock. I can't stand her, and it's only getting worse. That idiotic grin on her face, I wanted to wipe it off of her._ I got to the bank of floo fireplaces, and flooed right into Albus' office. He was waiting for me.

"That took you far less time than I thought," he said, standing up to greet me.

"Well, I sent everyone off before Harry started re-telling the story. There's a party tonight at the Manor to celebrate," I told him, and he shook his head at me. "You're really going to do this, distance yourself from Harry?" We had talked earlier this week, and he explained what his thoughts on the tunnel that I had encountered in Harry's mind were. He thought it best that he stay away until we were sure what it was. I disagreed with him.

"Anwen, we've been over this, it's best if Harry is less dependent on me right now. He can learn what he needs to know from all of you, and no one is privy to everything that I am. Voldemort can't know the plans that we have, or we will most certainly lose," he explained. We'd been on this turnabout already, and it was clear that we were at an impasse.

"Fine, I don't agree, but it's your relationship with him," I said. "So, what did you need to talk with me about?"

"Anwen, I know that your life is rather full right now," he started. _Oh great, he has something that needs me to do. I gave birth 7 weeks ago, and I've worked for half of what was supposed to be my Maternity leave. I had to go back to work in a week and a half._ "But I find myself without a professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts," he continued, and my mouth hung open. _Wait, he wants me to come and teach at Hogwarts? _I could not get my mind around that idea.

"Um, Albus, how would that work? I have a job and four very small children, and a husband that can't leave our house because there is a warrant for his arrest. Hogwarts is a rather public place for him to be."

"Anwen, sit down, lets discuss this," he said, and I nodded at him, stepping over to the two comfy chairs that he had near the fireplace. "First, would you even consider this?" he asked and I nodded, sort of, at him. Albus took it as a cue to continue.

"I wouldn't be asking if there was anyone else. I had someone lined up from France, but they read some of the articles in the _Prophet _and..." he trailed off. The articles about Albus had been extremely unflattering. "...needless to say, he will not be teaching with us this year. I would love to have James here to teach, but it wouldn't be fair to Harry, and there are parents that would object, due to the same articles. Remus cannot come back, and I would even consider Sirius, but he can't be out in public until we get that mess cleared up," he explained. He looked so old while he was talking to me.

"What about King or Alastor? They both taught Defense at the Auror school," I suggested. I still wasn't sure what I would do if push came to shove.

"Alastor refuses rather flatly, due to the fact that he spent all of last year in a box. Can't actually blame him there," Albus said with a twitch of the head. "Kingsley said that he would like to, but they're stretched too thin at the Ministry to be able to carve the time out, so you are my last hope. The Minister is breathing down my back about this, and he's already passed through quite a few idiotic mandates," he said grumbling. "Believe me, I realize what a predicament I would be placing you in." I took a deep breath and let it out.

"First of all, how would we handle the mandatory residence on the campus requirement?" I asked. "Um, Sirius can't live here, and then there are the kids. If I left them at home with him, I would hardly ever see my children; and if they came with me, I would have to find care for them while I taught and they would hardly ever see their father. Albus, I don't know that his mood would survive being without his children and me," I explained. Sirius was still struggling with his depression daily, but it was better than just after the incident.

"Anwen, we've had teachers that commute back and forth. It's not done often, but it has been done in the past. We could also arrange your schedule so that you would only teach in the morning or the afternoon, not both. And, if you needed to bring the children, I am sure that we could find some of the older students or even house elves that could watch them for you. You would have an office and quarters here, even if you didn't use them often," he explained with a slight desperation to his voice. _What did I think about this? How would it be to teach at Hogwarts? I loved teaching, and when I worked with Remus on his lesson plans two years ago I had enjoyed myself. _I found myself actually thinking about doing this.

"Albus, I clearly can't make a decision about something like this without talking with my husband, and I would need to converse with Amelia, because it would change the nature of my work with her as well, but I will at least consider it," I told him. Relief crossed his face.

"Thank you. The Minister of Magic is putting a great deal of pressure on me to find an appropriate person for the position," he said, and I could only imagine what that meant. " I don't want to rush you, but I will need a decision soon," he added and I nodded at him. "Now, how has the astral projection been coming along?" he asked, and I took it as a cue that he would be giving me the time that I needed to think about this.

Later that afternoon, I found myself at home, sitting on the couch with Sirius. He was holding Jamie, making faces at her while I was feeding John. I was still trying to figure out what the invitation to teach at Hogwarts would mean for us as a family.

"Anwen, you're an amazing teacher, Fudge is driving you crazy and Amelia is completely understanding. Go ahead and take the job. The kids and I will be fine, we can make this work, I promise. Take the job," he pleaded with me. I had stopped off at the Ministry before coming home to talk with Amelia, who thought that it would be a wonderful thing for me to take the DADA job. She knew that I could do legal analysis for her around the teaching responsibilities. We also surmised that if I only taught in the afternoon, I would be able to make most of the sessions of the Wizengamot. She was now in charge, she could see to this. My taking the job seemed like it would be doable.

"Are you certain, it's putting a great deal on you. You'll be alone with the kids from about 11 in the morning until probably 5 or later at night. I would have to be available for office hours and if I ever had to have someone serve detention..." I chucked at the thought. _Maybe Sirius can give me ideas for what to have students do for a detention. He certainly served enough time himself. _ "That's a rather long time to be home with two toddlers and two infants," I said, honestly concerned that my husband wasn't up for the challenge.

"Anwen, they're my children too, and they will be napping for much of the time you'll be gone. I am sure that I can get Molly and Lily and Andromeda to help me if I need it. Albus wouldn't have asked if he didn't think you'd do a great job," he tried to reassure me.

"I don't know about that. He would have actually considered you," I told him. _The castle would probably fall down if Sirius were ever back inside it for any length of time, especially as a professor._

"Really. That would be awesome," he said with a wicked smile on his face. I rolled my eyes at him.

"So, you want me to do this? You really want me to consider taking the job?" I asked him hesitantly. He put Jamie down in her carrier and came over and took my face in his hands.

"I don't want you to just consider it, I want you to take it. I won't lie, if you left the Ministry all together, I would be happy, but I know that your sense of duty would never allow you to do that. Anwen, you're an amazing teacher, take the job at Hogwarts and we'll work out the rest. I promise," he told me, leaning in to kiss me. He overwhelmed me with his emotions and devotion. I wanted to throw my arms around him and embrace him, but the nursing infant between us made that difficult. I broke the kiss off and just looked at him.

"I love you more and more each day my beloved. Thank you," I said, my eyes filling with tears.

"Well then, Professor Black or will it be Hodgson-Black?"

"Hodgson-Black. Hogwarts Professor Anwen Hodgson-Black, I think that has a rather nice sound to it," I said smiling. "Oh, wait, how will Harry and the rest of them take to it?" I asked. I looked at Sirius with my happy mood fading away.

"Ginny will be ecstatic! I think Harry and the rest will all be fine with it. Anyway, think of how much better Lily will feel if you're on campus every day, making sure that they're alright, especially Harry. Come on, he'd have his own personal Auror level protection, as well as what Dumbledore provides," he told me, grinning madly. _There are days I can't believe how much I love him._ "Now, we have a party to get through. Is that little boy done eating yet? Ginny has the other two out in the yard, and we are all going over together."

"Yup, he's done. Did you pack the take along bag?" I asked, handing him John for his carrier and then repositioning my clothes.

"Everything is in there, and we are ready to go. You going to tell everyone tonight?"

"I want to floo up to school and tell Albus first, and then we'll see about telling everyone else. All right? But I want to be the one to tell them," I said as I stood. Sirius stunk at keeping secrets, unless they were from me, then he seemed to develop the patience of a saint. Like he was able to keep the contents of the satchel I got from the goblins still a complete secret from me.

"Albus isn't coming tonight? He's the reason for all of this," Sirius said, somewhat shocked.

"Long and boring story, I'll tell you when we're alone tonight. Come on, I'll help you get the kids over, then go up to school and then be back for the party," I told him and then we headed out for the evening.

Albus was beyond relieved that I was willing to take the job. He had a large stack of information waiting for me, and gave me the guidelines for each of the years, as well as when the staff would be meeting in the next few weeks to plan out schedules. I quickly went and saw Minerva, and she was thrilled that I would be joining the staff. I then went down to the gates and apparated the short distance from Hogwarts to the town not far from the Manor, and walked myself through the wards on the back edge of the property and then apparated to the house. Lily and Tonks each had a baby and Ginny was flying with Lilyan and Harry had Evan and Ron was with Ethan flying higher in the sky. Hermione and Emma were playing in the flower beds. Sirius immediately rushed over and put his arms around me.

"Well?" he asked, somehow concerned that I might not have actually gone through with it.

"I'm the new DADA professor. We meet next week to set up our schedules," I explained, and he let out a rather loud whoop that made other people stop and look at us. I just smiled at them, and then gave him a scolding look. "We have family quarters in the campus as well, should we ever need them. Albus is going to set the floo up so that only our family can floo in and out of the quarters. I need to choose textbooks as soon as I can, but, I am really doing this," I smiled at him and let out a slightly overwhelmed sigh.

"I am so happy that you decided to do this," he said. I could feel his pride and his excitement, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I believed that my husband might really be genuinely happy, rather than just feinting it for my benefit. I smiled at him and wished desperately that we were alone. As I wove my hands around his neck, I heard a voice behind me.

"Can't the two of you keep your hands off each other, there are children here," James bellowed, and I turned around as Sirius kept his hands around my waist.

"Your timing still sucks there Prongs," Sirius reminded him. I just continued to smile, really very happily. I could see Remus walking over, talking in an animated way with Lily and Tonks. He was openly holding her hand, when there were people other than the four of us around. I was thrilled at this small act of open intimacy on their part.

"Anwen, why are you smiling like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary?" Remus asked me and I bit my lip and looked at Sirius. He almost imperceptibly nodded at me.

"Oh my Merlin, she's pregnant again!" Tonks blurted out.

"No!" I quickly yelled. "I am not pregnant!" I yelled at her. "My God Tonks, the twins are only 7 weeks old. No, but I do have a secret," I said more quietly.

"It's a wonderful secret that will make you all very happy. But, it isn't mine to tell," Sirius gushed, and I shook my head at him. _Well, I guess I don't have any choice but to tell them now, since 'Mr. I love you so much' can't keep a thought to himself. _They were all looking at me, and I could swear that they were holding their breath.

"Um, I've taken a second job," I told them, and everyone looked at me like I was nuts.

"Right, because there is a cash flow issue in your household," James joked and Sirius and I just looked at each other again. "What job could you possibly take that is more impressive than as the personal legal counsel to the chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Head of Magical Law Enforcement?" I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts," I told them slowly. Sirius squeezed me tighter while Tonks screamed and Lily hugged me. I could feel James hand on my shoulder, and Remus just let his eyes meet mine and volumes of unspoken understanding passed between us.

They congratulated me, and then James went and stood on a bench and called everyone over. I looked at Sirius, and I was sure that he would have preferred to have announced this, but we weren't at our home. The whole crowd shared their excitement, none more than Harry and Ginny. "Yes!" Harry said, "We might actually learn something!"

The next two weeks flew by for me. I went back to work at the Ministry in the morning the day before the twins were two months old, and worked to put together my lesson plans and teaching plans at Hogwarts in the afternoons. The rest of the professors at Hogwarts were more than accommodating, letting me set my schedule first, and then working around it. Minerva was actually giddy as a school girl at having me in the castle every day, and announced that she would watch one of the children every Tuesday while I was there, so that she could have alone time with her 'honorary grandchildren'. I moved my books and teaching aides into the castle, and had made arrangements for supplies and the help I would need for the first three months of the term.

Everything was going along great, Sirius and I seemed to find a way to balance everything. School was to start in two days, and with the exception of a stupid letter from Lucius Malfoy, voicing his concerns that the wife of a wanted man would be teaching the 'impressionable children' of Wizarding Britain, public opinion seemed to be that my teaching was a good thing. Even Cornelius Fudge, who was willing to admit his dislike of me, couldn't find a good reason to preclude me from teaching at Hogwarts. That was until the morning of August thirtieth.

I was in my office, working on reviewing the changes to the Dark Artifacts Laws that the Wizengamot would be voting on later this week, when an interoffice memo flew into my office. I opened it up, and saw that it was headed with the words "Education Decree # 21". I groaned. In the last three weeks, Fudge had issued 20 of these ridiculous edicts. One was actually on the composition of the knee socks that girls were allowed to wear with their skirts. _Why exactly Muggle created synthetic fibers were being outlawed was beyond me. They wore better and lasted longer than the all cotton or all wool ones that you could buy in Wizarding stores. _The decrees were sent directly from the Minister's office, and since they only affected Hogwarts, Amelia had no power over them. The only body that could overrule them, was the Board of Directors of the school, and he had many friends on the board.

I reached over and pulled on my glasses and started to read the newest rule, and made it about halfway through it, when I had the sudden urge to strangle someone. I got up and walked out to Edie's desk.

"I am going to go and visit the Minister. Please, don't call and let them know that I'm on my way," I barked at her, and she nodded. Edie and I had an understanding, when I was pissed, like I was now, it wasn't at her.

I was seething as I rode the lift to the first level of the Ministry building. Amelia was out of the office this morning, or I would have brought her with me. I would have loved to have Albus with me as well, but he was quite unwelcome in the Ministry of Magic right now. The Minister's secretary was at her desk, and she went to say something to me as I blew into the outer office, but I waved her off. I could tell that he was in there, the door was open and I could hear his voice, along with that of his "Special Assistant and Senior Undersecretary", Delores Umbridge. I still had the damned decree in my hands. I knocked on the door rather loudly, didn't want to be rude and just barge in. They both looked up, and the Minister looked at me and opened his mouth to speak, but I started first.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" I seethed at him.

"Yes, that did indeed come through my office. We wanted to release it in enough time for you to be able to prepare yourself, and your family, of course," he said, almost too politely. I looked over at his insipid toady, and she had the most smug smile on her face. I wanted to hex it off of her.

"You can't possibly think that I would be able to get my family ready in time. I can't go and live in the castle for a year? The Headmaster and I had worked everything out, and there wasn't going to be a problem with me commuting back and forth to Hogwarts," I told him. The decree had stated that all professorial staff had to live on-site full time. _There was no way that it would work. I couldn't bring Sirius with me, and I couldn't very well leave him home without the children and me for an entire school year. Not to mention, being alone with all of our children without the aid of my husband – their father – would be nearly impossible._

"After much discussion with some concerned parents, it was decided that it would be better to have the teaching staff available full time, in case there needs were to arise outside of class. That is best done by having all of the professors living in the castle" he said, now getting the same smug smile on his face. _Concerned parent my arse. _"I understand that you have quarters large enough for you and your family, I don't see what the problem is?"

"The problem is that if my husband sets foot in the castle, you'll have him arrested on this stupid charge," I said through clenched teeth.

"Mrs. Black," he said, knowing full well that professionally I went by Hodgson-Black, " your husband is a dangerous man. After all, the Ministry spent years trying to find him on attempted murder charges and then this most recent, violent attack on me. Of course we wouldn't want him around the students at the school," he said, sounding so proud of himself.

"You hunted him for years for something that he didn't do," I said, trying to contain my emotions the best that I could. "And as for when he punched you, lets not forget that you had just insulted me. You called me a baby factory. While I wasn't thrilled with how he did it, he was defending my honor, our choices as a married couple and the existence of our children," my voice was now getting louder.

"You could always move in alone," the toad added. I turned to look at her, deciding I would be better served speaking to the silly pink velvet bow perched on her head like some fluorescent bird, rather than try to look her in the eyes.

"So, you're suggesting that it would be healthy for my children to either spend a year away from their mother or their father? They're very small, and they need the love of both of their parents while they are growing. Clearly, that couldn't be what you are suggesting. Perhaps you don't understand, because you don't have any children," I spat at her, knowing that my face was now hard and tense.

"I have preferred to dedicate myself to the goals of the Ministry and the Minister himself," she said proudly. _I guess we should all be thankful for that, I'd hate to think what your kids would look like._

"And there is no way that you're going to be willing to bend on this rule, at all?" I pleaded.

"If we bend the rules for one, we'd have to do it for everyone, and then we wouldn't have any of the teaching staff available for the students," he said, making it sound like everyone would want to be living off campus, which he had to know was untrue. I knew for a fact that the rest of the staff was more than willing to accommodate me; well except for maybe Snape, but that was another story altogether.

"You know you've tied my hands. I won't break up my family. The term starts in two days, and Albus struggled to find someone to take the position as it was," I said, now sounding defeated and sad. "I can't believe you'd be this petty, or that you've sunk to such things," I added, turning on my heel to leave. I returned to my office, and Amelia still had not returned. I thought of going over to see King, but I knew that he would just get upset again, and we needed him to stay in the Auror department. I quickly sent both Albus and Sirius Patronuses, telling them that I would be coming to talk with them both, and then closed and sealed my office.

"Edie, I'll be back after lunch, please don't tell anyone when I'll be back, except Amelia and King. I doubt I will be in much of a good mood later," I told her and she nodded at me.

"I read the thing, and it's moronic. He's..." she stopped, knowing that it seemed the walls had ears lately. "...he did it to keep you from teaching," she added. "I'm sorry, I know how excited you were, and I have no doubt you'd be excellent at it."

"Thanks. I've got to go and speak with some men who will be none too thrilled at this most recent turn of events," I told her, and left for the apparition platforms. I went into the Shrieking Shack and steadied myself against the wave of nausea that hit me._ I hate having to apparate over long distances, it has to get easier at some point._ Once I was sure that I wouldn't be sick, I changed into my kestrel form and flew to the castle, landing not far from the main entrance, and changing back into my human self.

The climb to Albus' office seemed laborious. I was dreading what I had to do, even though it wasn't by my own volition that I was backing out of my commitment. The statue was already to the side, and I ascended the stairs slowly. I could hear voices in the Headmaster's study, and I hoped that I wasn't disturbing him. When I reached the landing, I could see that it was Minerva, Filius, and Hagrid. As I entered, they all looked at me with understanding.

"Albus, I am so sorry," I started but he held a hand up to stop me.

"Anwen, I would never ask you to choose between your family and helping me out. You had already made more than enough concessions to let me know that you were willing to walk a rather fine line to make this arrangement work. This is entirely the Minister's work."

"It's ludicrous is what it is. Where in the world is Albus supposed to find a replacement by midnight?" Minerva said, spitting fire and brimstone when she spoke.

"Midnight? Why midnight?" I asked.

"This came by owl just a few minutes ago," Albus said, handing me a piece of parchment. I read it over, it was Educational Decree # 22. Fudge had arranged it so that if Albus didn't have a Ministry approved professor by midnight tonight, he would have the authority to place whoever he wanted in the position. By the time I reached the end of the page, I was shaking with anger.

"He manipulated this whole thing, sent out the decree that I would have to live here and then immediately followed it up with one that says if you can't find someone, then he gets to place whoever he wants here. Where is his head at?" I threw my arms up, tossing the darned rule on the floor. _ I can't let this happen, not when it's within my power to stop it. But how would we do this?_

"Albus, there has to be some way to make this work. Maybe if Sirius never left our quarters, or only under disillusionment, he could be here with the children and me? Um, Hagrid, could you have another dog live with you? Fluffy might like some company?" I said turning to the gamekeeper, who let out a hardy laugh at the idea.

"Anwen, Fluffy would eat Sirius alive, even in his dog form," he said, and I looked at Albus again.

"If Sirius were in the castle, it would be too easy for him to be found, he's much safer the way things are, he at least has some freedom to move among the houses. He couldn't be in the castle, the temptation to leave would be too great, and you know that there are those in the castle, students and staff, who would be all too willing to turn him in," he told me, and I knew he was right.

"Maybe, I suppose that it wouldn't be so bad to be away from my children," I stuttered the words out, but my heart was breaking at the idea of not being with my babies, my sweet little children everyday. "There are weekends, and breaks, and I'm sure that our friends would help Sirius," tears were now breaking free from my eyes, much to my dismay. Minerva came over and put an arm around my shoulders.

"I would never ask that of you, the personal sacrifice would be too great. I respect you as a person and as a mother too much, Anwen," Albus said, and his words made me cry harder. There wasn't a way to make this work. Fudge knew what he had done, and he won. "We will just have to accept what the Ministry sends, and make the best of it."

I left to head to the farm by way of Albus' floo. I sat on the couch, while Sirius held me, and cried tears of anger and frustration for the rest of the morning.


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: Hello folks, time is marching on here, and things aren't going well at Hogwarts. The song for this chapter is "Numb" by U2. I haven't said it in a while, but I don't own any of the recognizable characters or locations, they are the property of the author and publisher of the Harry Potter books. Original characters and locations are my property. No copyright infringement is intended. Thanks for reading. Mutt**

**Chapter 31:**

**Reading between the lines**

**Sirius POV:**

The disappointment that Anwen had over not being able to teach at Hogwarts was mirrored by the kids when they found out. All of them, even the Weasley twins, were excited at the idea that Anwen would have been their teacher. It was compounded when they found out that Delores Umbridge was going to be teaching them instead. When that announcement came down, I decided if it was indeed best to leave Anwen alone to throw and break things in the basement of the farm all on her own. I could repair any damage later, staying clear of her rage was clearly in my best interests. When the sounds of destruction ceased, I went down and carried the quivering heap of my wife to our room and held her as she cried.

She had since devoted herself to her work with Amelia, but I could tell that her heart was no longer in it. I knew that she had lost something that brought her joy, because of me. If I hadn't been under the threat of arrest, we all could have lived together at the castle, and she could be teaching right now. It was just one more way in which I was a disappointment to my sweet wife, even though she would never say that about me.

Midnight and Hedwig were frequently flying between the farm and Hogwarts. The kids were writing home, telling us about the horrible things that were going on in Defense class – or maybe more rightly it should be said, that nothing was going on in Defense class. I know that they weren't doing it to make Anwen feel bad, but that was the effect when the letters arrived. Things were nearly as bad at the Ministry. Edict after edict had been handed down and it was obvious that they were trying to tighten the reigns around Dumbledore.

Order meetings weren't going well either. We knew that we needed to secure the prophecy against Voldemort, but we couldn't seem to figure out how. Everyone who worked in the Ministry was pulling extra duty shifts – with the exception of Anwen – they wouldn't let her as long as she was getting up to feed the twins at night. She felt guilty about that as well, but I knew that none of them really expected her to.

The weight of all of it, as well as my inability to do anything useful, other than the dreaded research, pressed in on me daily. I could swear that I honestly felt it pushing down on me, making me feel smaller and less significant. Anwen teased me that if I was a Muggle, she would have had a doctor put me on something called an anti-depressant medication. Apparently, the melancholy that I was feeling was actually a chemical imbalance of the brain. She instead took to brewing me a mild potion of Hypericum and slipping it into my morning tea. It seemed to help, or maybe it was just very hard to be upset or angry around the whirlwind that is our children.

The twins were now nearly three months old, and were alert and awake for longer periods of time. They both took bottles well, which meant that I could help to feed them, and Anwen was already talking about starting them on that runny stuff she had fed the older two. Lilyan was walking and talking and generally getting into everything. She was particularly fond of riding on my back as Padfoot, and of course, I was more than willing to oblige her. Ethan, at 2 ½ years old, was a spitfire, and an excellent flier. While Anwen was away at work, it was not uncommon for my eldest son and me to fly around the farm. His laughter was infectious and wonderful, it actually reminded me of the bell–like chime of his mother's.

A desperate letter arrived not long after the kids arrived at school, Harry needed to talk to me, needed to know if we understood what was happening inside of the school. He was also having some very strange feelings, things which were coming through his scar. I took the risk and fire called him, it wasn't a good conversation, but there wasn't much else that I could do. I decided that the best thing would be to send Anwen up to the school to talk with him. That's where she was now, at the school for both a lesson with Dumbledore on her astral projection and to have dinner with her honorary nephew and his friends. Molly had made dinner for the kids and me, and brought it out to the farm; all I had to do was warm it and feed them. I was anxious to have Anwen get home and tell me about her time at the school.

I fed the kids, and bathed the twins and set them down in their own cribs. We had recently gotten Ethan to begin sleeping in a regular bed, so John was now in his old crib, although we let John and Jamie share a room still. Lilyan, Ethan and I were on the floor, playing together, when Anwen came through the floo. I stood to greet her.

"How were things up at Hogwarts?" I asked her, lightly kissing her hello.

"I'm not sure. Harry is hiding something from me, but I can't tell you what it is. It didn't feel right to go into his mind, look for myself as to what it is; but he was clearly hiding something. Did you know he's been in detention nearly every night since he's been back?" she told me. I shook my head at her.

She recounted her lesson with Dumbledore, and promised that she would demonstrate once the kids were asleep. She then explained that the kids at school were able to tell her that they were doing absolutely no spell work in class with the old toad.

"None, no spell work, at all? How in the hell are they supposed to be ready for their exams next spring?" I asked her.

"I have no idea. But I told you, the rumor at work is that Dumbledore is building an army, training them to fight. One way to make sure that doesn't happen is if they never get to do any practical defense. Of course, you'd only think that if you're an idiot who's paranoid and delusional," she said, raking her fingers through her hair. "Harry did tell me that he's getting twinges or something like that in his scar. I don't think that Voldemort is anywhere near the school, he knows better than to go there, Dumbledore would wipe the floor with him. Maybe it's just that he has his body back, and he's able to connect with Harry over farther distances. I wish I understood it better," she sighed. Anwen had sat down on the floor, and Lilyan had crawled over and curled up in her lap.

"Hello Mummy," she said in her sweet little voice, "I wub you."

"I love you too little ladybird. Guess who I had dinner with?" she said, stroking her cheek.

"Who?"

"Ginny," she told our daughter, who clapped her hands. "And she told me to tell you that she misses you, and can't wait to see you at Christmas."

"I wub Ginny too," Lilyan cooed and Anwen smiled at her. We sat on the floor and played a while longer, and then Anwen took both the children up and got them ready for bed. I closed the house up for the night, and met her in our bedroom.

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked her. I had sat down on the bed, and she had come to sit between my legs, leaning her head against my chest.

"I wish I could figure out what's wrong up there. It was like Harry wanted to tell me, but couldn't bring himself to. He has to know he can trust me, right?" she asked, almost wondering aloud.

"Of course he knows he can, it could be nothing too. Maybe just girl related," I told her, trying to make her feel better.

"I supposed, but after what happened with Ginny and the chamber, I just don't want to miss a sign or a signal from one of them that something is wrong," she told me. _That's the real problem, she still thinks that she failed Ginny three years ago._

"Anwen, just let them know that you're there, if it's a real problem, eventually they will confide in you." She nodded against me. "Now, tell me about what you and Albus worked on."

"Before I do that, there is one other thing that happened. I had a run–in with the toad," she told me. I groaned.

"What happened now?"

"Well, you know that she's the Hogwarts High Inquisitor now, right?" she asked me, her voice thick with sarcasm.

"Yes," I said, drawing the word out so it sounded like it had multiple syllable.

"Well she saw me in the hall coming down from Albus' office, headed for his private dining room so that the kids and I could have dinner together. She wanted to know why I was in the castle. I told her, as politely as I could, that I had a meeting with the Headmaster, and that he had arranged for my nephew and his friends to have dinner with me, so that I could catch up with them, since I was already there," she said, clearly thinking that it would be obvious to anyone who thought about it.

"She got all, well, like herself, and wanted to know what the meeting was about. I told her it was private. Then she got really shirty about it, saying that if it was going on in the school, she had a right to know about it. I told her, again, that it was a private matter between the Headmaster and me that had nothing to do with Hogwarts, but since he had to remain on the property, we had to meet there," Anwen sounded exasperated at the whole memory.

"She pressed again, asking for a third time what the meeting was about. I told her that Albus was helping me with some magic that I needed to learn, and that was all that I was going to tell her. I swear that woman is...." she stopped talking and punched our bed with her fists, "...well, simply a bitch!" I couldn't help but laugh. Anwen didn't generally swear, and to hear such a thing come out of her mouth made me giggle. "I finally just walked away."

"Well, maybe you can borrow Harry's invisibility cloak the next time you're there, so that you don't run into her in the halls," I suggested and Anwen nodded in agreement. "So, are you going to show me what you're working on?"

"Yes, but it's still hard, so you can't talk with me while I'm visualizing, okay?" she said as she shifted herself away from me. She sat on the far end of the bed, closed her eyes and held her hands out, palm side up toward the ceiling. I watched as her hands began to glow the beautiful golden yellow of our shared magic, and then standing next to her was another image of herself. It wasn't solid, like Anwen was, but instead sort of see–through, and a paler version of the color of our magic. It was almost like a patronus version of my wife. I was surprised when the projected image of Anwen began speaking at me.

"Sirius, love, you need to close your mouth, or you're liable to catch flies," it said, before dissolving back into nothing. Anwen then opened her eyes and smiled that infectious smile of hers.

"That was...amazing...how...wow," I stammered. I had never seen anything like it. I didn't know if anyone else could even do what she just did.

"Thank you, darling. I think it's great that you're speechless. We're going to work on my ability to hold it longer, project it over farther distances and such, but there you go. I can see whatever is going on, through the projection's eyes, if that makes sense. I have a long way to go, but I am making progress. Albus also isn't sure how much power I will need to draw in order to make it work. I've got to be sure that I won't drain you out, while I'm projecting," she said, still obviously proud of herself. I could feel her satisfaction and pride and genuine sense of happiness, and I welcomed what it did for my soul. I pulled her to me, and laid her down on our bed.

"Have I told you just how amazing I think you are, and how honored I am to be your husband?" I asked her, gently kissing her forehead and her eyelids.

"Um, I seem to have recalled you saying it once or twice, maybe, but I will always be glad to hear it," she whispered to me. I kissed the corners of her mouth and then kissed my way to the sweet spot behind her ear.

"Good," I whispered back, before my tongue traced along her ear lobe.

**Anwen POV:**

"He's doing what?" I yelled at my husband, not really meaning to yell, but it just came out that way. It had been nearly a month since my run–in with Umbridge, and my dinner with Harry and the kids. Albus and I had continued our lessons, but we had chosen to meet out in the Shrieking Shack to avoid too many eyes.

"He is teaching some of his friends Defense Against the Dark Arts," he repeated quietly, a rather smug smile on his face.

"That's bloody brilliant," I told him and I thought that Sirius might burst apart with pride.

"What happened to my rule–following, sweet wife?"

"Delores Umbridge. I have come to loathe the very dirt on which her shoes rest, much less anything that is actually touching her skin," I told him, which made him grin even wider. "I wonder if we can help him? There is something more than they are letting on, I'm sure of it. Both Hermione and Ginny have hinted at something, but I can't get any of them to tell me. We've got to find a way to assist them, I mean, really, his father and Remus and I would love to help them learn to defend themselves, and it has the added bonus of putting the screws to that...toad."

Sirius picked me up and swung me around, much to my surprise, and then kissed me fiercely. I was panting for my breath when he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine. "She nearly caught me tonight, so anything that I can do to make her life miserable, would be worth it to me, but, right now, I don't want to talk about her," he said, reaching down to the bottom button of my blouse and beginning to unbutton it. "Or about Defense," he said, continuing his way up my shirt, his fingers setting a blaze against my skin and his emotions nearly overloading me. "Or even about our family," he added, freeing me of my blouse. "Right now, I just want to concentrate on how much I love the woman I married," he told me between kisses that moved from my lips to the hollow between my breasts. I was completely helpless to disagree.

**Sirius POV:**

As the weather turned colder, we decided that wintering in the harsh countryside of Wales wasn't for the best, especially with the babies, and we made plans to move back into London. Additionally, Tonks had been learning how to help Remus through his changes, and was now spending the nights of the full moon at the farm. Prongs or I would come out and stay with him, but she was in the house and had taken over the morning–after care duties. _Actually, they were spending most nights together, at least the ones that they weren't on duty. Wonder what they're up to?_ I wasn't sure if Remus had taken Anwen's drunken advice, but it certainly seemed like he had. My wife and I had decided that their privacy was worth the discomfort of living in the headquarters. We wanted to make sure that we were completely moved out by his November change.

It was Halloween evening, and we had all six of the little kids getting ready at Grimmauld. With the school age kids gone, we had converted the ballroom back into one large room, and then moved all of the children's play things into it. I had even built a magical climbing tree, much like the things that we had seen in the Muggle playgrounds near our home.

Anwen's mother had once again sent costumes she had made for the children, and this year, the older ones actually knew what was going on, and were quite excited. Lily had coordinated Emma's costume with Lilyan's and I was looking forward to seeing what they were dressed like. Of course, my wife wouldn't let me see until the children were completely dressed. I was down in the kitchen, talking with Remus and James as we waited for our wives, with the help of Tonks and Eira, to get the children ready.

"I still think it's risky for you to be going out," Remus said to me.

"You're putting me on a damned leash, honestly, people are actually going to think that I'm the family pet, rather than the kids' father," I complained. Anwen said we had to make it look realistic if I was going out, not to mention, she was worried about the "leash law" that had been enacted in Britain three years ago. "_Just what we need is for your to be seized by the Muggle police" she said, rolling her eyes at me when I told her how I wanted to go out on Halloween night with the kids._

"Well, we're all probably better off if you go as the family pet, much less likely to get into fights," James teased me. I knew that he was eluding to the punch I had thrown at Snivelus at the last Order meeting. Of course, he had it coming to him. Just then, a beautiful projection of my wife materialized in the room, smiling at me.

"When the three of you are ready, the children are dressed and looking forward to heading out. Sirius, please bring the camera up, so that I can take pictures for Ma," she told me, and she dematerialized the same way.

"Okay, I have to tell you, I will never get used to that. Really, it's like a Patronus of...her," James said, staring at the wall where Anwen's projection had just been. She had been practicing every night, and had scared Molly out of her wits when she saw the projected self walking down the hall. She swore that we had somehow ended up with a ghost.

"I think it's amazing. Did any of us have any clue how damned powerful she was when we met her at 11?" I said out loud, but really musing to myself as I got up out of my chair. The others followed suit. "I do worry however, about what would happen if Voldemort ever found out about her skills. Peter never really understood her power, he wasn't there the night that she demonstrated, and we all worked so hard to make sure that we didn't ever really discuss it. She kept it from people at the Ministry as well. I honestly think that it's only King, Amelia and Edie who know. Well, Arthur and Eira know, but they're family," I said. Her safety and the safety of the kids was the most important thing.

"There's really no way for him to find out, unless we have another mole in the Order," Remus mused aloud. _ I hope not, a projecting visualist who can astral project would be a valued prize for the other side, especially one so close to Albus and Harry. _ When we reached the second floor, we walked into the ballroom, and were greeted by quite a sight. Evan, at 4 ½ knew all about Halloween, and knew he would be getting candy. He had chosen his own costume, and Lily struggled with how exactly to make his dream come true. He wanted to be a wolf, in honor of his godfather. _James and Lily had explained that Uncle Remus was a wolf in his Animagus form, just like Daddy was a stag, Auntie Winnie was a falcon and I was a dog. It was enough of an explanation for now._

Molly had helped her make a hat with a wolf head on it, and a 'suit' out of brown, mangy fur. He looked great, and Remus looked honestly touched. Tonks walked over and gave him a hug and whispered something in his ear, and then wiped his face. I saw Anwen looking at the two of them with a sweet smile on her face.

Ethan drove his grandma crazy when he told her that he wanted to be a dragon for Halloween. His Auntie Eira had shown him pictures of dragons, and had bought him dragon books and stuffed animals, and now he was obsessed. It didn't hurt that Auntie Eira's boyfriend was a dragon handler, and sent him all sorts of things like fangs, toe nails and scales for his bedroom. The costume my mother-in-law made was brilliant, with scales the color of the Hungarian Horntail – we had sent her real pictures – and had a tail that curled up in back. She had even rigged its nose with birthday blow outs in orange and yellow that when Ethan blew into a straw by his mouth, they would roll out like he was breathing fire.

"I think it's the best costume Ma has ever made," Eira said proudly.

"And the fact that it's a dragon has nothing to do with it, right sis?" Anwen teased her sister. "How many days until Charlie is back in the country?"

"42. I can't believe that he's moving back to England to be with me," she said beaming. "I really think that he might ask me to marry him," she added in a dreamy voice. I couldn't help but notice that Tonks looked a little sad at her announcement. _ I knew for a fact that Charlie was going to ask at Christmastime. He had enlisted my help to contact Caldwalder to ask for his permission to marry his youngest daughter. I then also helped him find a jeweler to design an engagement ring for her, using the stones from her grandmother Hodgson's engagement ring, and some stones from our family vault. Anwen didn't even know about the engagement plans yet._

The two girls were dancing around with each other. Lilyan was dressed as a ladybug, with iridescent black wings on her back, and funny little red balls bouncing off of her barrettes as antennae. Emma was dressed as a beautiful butterfly, with painted see-through wings, in honor of her Daddy's nickname for her, 'flutterby'.

The twins were in the double pram, which was decorated up as a pea pod. They were both wearing green shirts and green beanies on their heads, the only part of them that could be seen over the felt covering. "That's cute, two peas in a pod," I quipped, and Anwen nodded at me.

"Well, I think that we should be off. Albus and Minerva are flooing over after the Halloween feast at the school to see the kids. Well, they are hoping to, as long as the toad lets them out of her sight tonight," Anwen seethed the last part of the sentence. We took the hands of the older children and Remus helped me carry the twins' stroller down the stairs, and we were off for the night.

**Anwen POV:**

I was up in the boys room, changing John, watching the mural on his wall two days after Halloween. _This is the first Quidditch match of Harry's that we've missed. I would love to be there, the team is supposed to be awesome this year, but I couldn't go and leave Sirius at home. He would have been heartbroken at missing the match, and at being home alone with the kids on a day like today. We instead were watching Emma while Evan went with his parents to watch his big brother play._ I quickly got John a new nappy, and into clean clothes, and we went back down to the converted ballroom to see how Sirius and Eira were holding up. I heard rather loud voices as I entered the room.

"I can't believe that she did that to him!" Sirius was yelling, the loudness made John cry as we reached the landing.

"What has you so worked up?" I asked my husband quietly as I entered the room. "You frightened your son." He walked over and kissed John's head.

"Daddy is very sorry, little man, he didn't mean to frighten you. I'll be right back, I have to open the floo for James and Lily and then we'll explain everything," he said, and left the room. I soothed John and put him down on the blanket with his twin sister. They could lay side by side and stare at one another for hours. I looked at Eira, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"All James Patronus said was that they were on their way over, and that the Umbridge woman had banned Harry from Quidditch," she told me, and I rolled my eyes. _This should be a rather interesting story. _

A few minutes later, Sirius and the Potters entered the room, and immediately Evan took off to find Ethan and begin climbing in the magical tree. I conjured some more chairs and we all sat down. Lily seemed visibly shaken by the events.

"It wasn't a clean match, although it never is when Slytherin plays Gryffindor," James started. "Anyway, just as Harry was to catch the snitch, a bludger was sent at him, at unbelievable speed. He caught the snitch, but that Malfoy brat started running his mouth, insulting Molly Weasley and Lily here," James said, giving his wife a hug. "Of course, Fred and Harry took the bait, and hexed the little demon spawn, which got them into trouble. Minerva was livid, but handling it in her own special way," he joked, and we all remembered her tongue lashings.

"Then, the toad decides to 'help'. Turns out that Education Decree Number 25 gives her the right to remove privileges from students, even overriding their heads of house. She banned Harry and the twins for life," he said nearly boiling over. But it wasn't James that blew, it was Lily.

"I've had enough of her! She's making our son's life hell, and he is most definitely hiding something from me, and he can't hide things from me. Hell, I found his Muggle magazines under his bed, and I know how he wishes he could kiss that Chang girl, and that he does potions practice in the bathroom when he's home. She is making him hide something from me, and I hate her for it!" Lily was yelling, and James was trying to calm her down.

"I think that it is time that we took matters into our own hands," Sirius said, that familiar Marauding smile on his face. James looked at him and nodded.

"Whatever did you have in mind?" he replied.

Christmas was only a week away, but I was up at Hogwarts, in the secret room that the kids – with the help of a house elf – had found for their defense practice. _The Room of Requirement is awesome, but I am so glad that the boys never found it while we were in school. I can only imagine what they would have done in here, Sirius especially. I'm sure that he would have snogged, or more, 2/3 of the female population if he had no risk of being caught while at it._ We had all taken turns coming up and helping, but I was honored that Harry preferred my presence over the others.

Lily wasn't the best at defensive spells our dueling, but she did come up to teach them about healing spells. James and Remus had taught them advanced dueling skills but they made Harry nervous and uncomfortable, so it was often me that was up here with him and his friends, breaking innumerable rules, and preparing them for the world that waited for them outside. The room was kind enough to provide a window just large enough for me to fly into and then land and change over. The meeting wasn't supposed to start for a while, and there were only a few students here, mostly just the ones that we considered "our kids" to use my husband's term. There was also a small, blond haired girl with them.

"Aunt Winnie, have you seen Charlie, is he here?" Ginny called, running over to me. I gave her a hug and nodded. "Not yet, something held him up in Romania. Eira's going crazy from waiting. From what I understand, Bill is coming home soon as well, and you'll be staying with us for Christmas," I told her, and she smiled brightly.

"My big brothers, my best friends and your kids, perfect," she beamed. I greeted the rest of the kids and then my eyes were once again on the little blond girl. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that I know you," I said to the girl.

"I'm so sorry Aunt Winnie, this is Luna Lovegood. She's in my year, but in Ravenclaw. Her home isn't far from ours in Ottery St. Catchpole," Ginny explained and I reached out to shake her hand. She shook it, and then turned it over to examine the palm of it.

"Oh, you're very strong in your magic, and very wise; and you're very lucky, the snort-stacks haven't started gnawing holes in your magical mitten yet," she said and then dropped my hand and sort of wandered off, looking at the buttresses of the room. I stood there, looking at her, perplexed by not only what she said, but what I was seeing around her.

"Harry, what do you know about Luna?" I asked him, and he looked at me.

"Ignore her, I try to," he said under his breath. "I'm sorry, that was rude, it's just that she's a little strange, but I guess she's harmless," he explained. I held my hand up to stop him.

"No, she's very perceptive, although I have no idea what a magical mitten is. Harry, her magic is, unbelievable. Um, it's strong, and very pure, and I think she has a magical guide. There's another magical signature attached to her, also strong and very pure. I've never seen anything like it," I told him, sort of shaking my head. "Keep her around, I have no idea what she's actually thinking, but, she could be extremely useful and I can tell that she's faithful to those she's close to. You can't have magic that pure if you've ever betrayed someone's trust," I explained. Harry nodded at me.

The meeting that night went very well, and I was impressed with how far several of them had come. Harry worked with most of the students, and I spent time with his close friends, since we had been training them over the last few summers. When the time was over, Harry ended the lesson, and I was saying goodbye to the kids, although I knew that I would see them in a few days.

"Alright, um, we'll see you all on Friday night, and then on Saturday, girls, we can go and do your Christmas shopping. I know that you're headed home Hermione, but this way, you can get things for your parents before you go. Your room will be ready for you when you need to come, and your parents can call on the telephone to let me know that you're on your way, or I can drive over and get you," I told her and she nodded.

"And you, young lady, remind me that I don't want to be on your bad side, your curses are quite remarkable," I told Ginny and she beamed at me.

"Give the kids a kiss for me, and tell them I can't wait to see them," she said as she hugged me.

"Well, Lilyan says she 'wubs' you, so I think they already know," I told her. I then felt her body tense. I let go of her and looked over my shoulder to see Harry talking with the Chang girl that he had been crushing on for the last year. "Hey, I know it hurts, believe me I know it hurts. We'll talk about it while you're at Grimmauld. We'll have a girls' night, do our nails, listen to music, complain about boys," I told her, and she gave me half a smile, and left with Hermione and her brothers. I walked over to Harry and Cho, they were looking at each other as if they were the only people in the world.

"Um, hate to bother you Harry, but can I have a quick word before I go?" I asked him, and he asked Cho to wait while we walked over to the window. "Look, things are going well here, and you should be very proud. The toad would be so upset to know what you've been able to teach them," I told him proudly. "Remember to close your mind and clear it out tonight before bed, okay?" I reminded him and then changed over and flew off toward Hogsmeade to apparate home. I needed to talk with Sirius about what I saw in Luna right away.


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: This was one of the hardest chapters for me to write, and I'm still rather conflicted over it. We've got more occlumency in it, and another trip through that portal, whatever it is. There are three songs for this chapter: "Winter" by Tori Amos, "About to Come Alive" by Train and "Ice Cream" by Sarah MacLachlan. I don't own the HP world, although several of these characters are mine; no copyright infringement is implied by my use. Thanks to everyone for reading, and please, leave me some feedback when you're done. I love hearing what people are thinking and I'm stuck in my house recuperating for another two weeks, so some messages would be good. Thanks so much, Mutt**

**Chapter 32:**

**Winter of Discontent**

**Sirius POV:**

The faint chime went off, letting me know that Jamie had awoken. We were trying to let her learn to put herself back to sleep, but I also didn't want her waking Lilyan up, if she wasn't able to do it. Lilyan wasn't happy when her little sister awoke her during the night, and neither were my wife and I. We were then forced to deal with two children awake and unhappy.

Anwen was curled up against me, her gentle hand resting over my heart, where it always was when she slept. The beauty of my wife when she was asleep never ceased to amaze me. Her face was relaxed, and without the tension that seemed to seep into her while she was awake, and her breath danced across my face. I didn't want to wake her, I just wanted her to be able rest for a change. I lifted her hand and slid out from under her, placing her hand on my pillow. She immediately curled herself into it, much as she had just been curled against me. I reached down to the floor and grabbed my shirt and pulled it on, and then found the thick socks that I too had discarded near the foot of our bed and pulled them onto my feet. _James may have charmed the house to be more comfortable, but the floors were still frigid. _

I went to my office, and sat down with a book of counter–curses that Anwen had purchased for me on a recent potions supplying trip to Monaco. I wanted to work with Harry and the other kids on some of this stuff during holiday. I could hear the charm still lightly pinging, telling me Jamie was still awake in her crib, but as of yet, she hadn't gotten loud enough to awaken her sister. Each of the children had different sounding alarms, to let us know if they had awoken during the night. It was like something Muggles used called a baby monitor, but Anwen had made it so we knew exactly which child it was that was awake; good thing too, when you had 4 children, none of whom were even 3 yet.

I sat there for a few minutes, reading and thinking about the Christmas holiday next week, when my great-great-Grandfather entered his portrait, which took me by surprise. It was the only family portrait that Anwen and I hadn't removed, because Albus had asked us to leave it here. I had no desire to speak with any of the other family members who had portraits here when my parents lived here. Phineas' portrait had been in one of the bedrooms, but I had moved it in here, because I didn't want him harassing any of my family. _Wouldn't you know, I would have to be related to the least liked headmaster of Hogwarts. What the hell did he want at this time of night._ He cleared his throat, clearly indicating that he wanted to speak, so I raised my head.

"Hello there Phineas, what can I do for you this evening?" I asked dryly. I really didn't want to listen to his tirade tonight.

"I've been sent by the Hogwarts Headmaster. That Potter boy had a dream that Arthur Weasley has been attacked. They found him and he is going to St. Mungo's. Harry and the Weasley children will be sent here forthwith," he said. I immediately stood and went to the portrait. _Why would what Harry dreamed be real?_

"Was there anything else?"

"Nothing, but I have a great deal that I could say about what you and that Mudblood have done to this house..." I exhaled greatly.

"I don't have time for it tonight, and don't call my wife that." I growled at him. "Please let Professor Dumbledore know that we'll be ready. I'll awaken Molly and have her escort ready immediately," I told him and then waved my hand to dismiss the portrait. I quickly went back to our bedroom, I had left my wand on the nightstand, and I needed to awaken Anwen to speak with Molly.

"Anwen, Anwen love, you need to get up honey," I said, stroking her face. I hated that I had to awaken her, she hadn't been sleeping well since the twins were born. "Anwen darling, please, please wake up," I said again, shaking her lightly. She rolled slightly and stretched.

"Sirius, I can't feed the kids yet, not enough milk, just give them a bottle," she muttered, and then curled back up.

"Anwen, it isn't the babies. Arthur was attacked while on guard duty. You need to get up to talk with Molly. The kids are on the way back here from Hogwarts," I told her. I watched as the sleep rushed from her body. She pulled herself up, and sat in the bed.

"Do you know anything else?" she asked me, stretching. Her face looked so drawn. _I have no idea what has her so upset, not exactly, but clearly something is gnawing at my wife._

"No, come on, you need to talk with Molly. Remus is downstairs, I'll get him and let him know so that he can go with you to St. Mungo's and then I'll go and see James and Lily. It has something to do with a dream that Harry had. The kids will be here soon," I told her and she nodded at me, the tension overtook her face again as she slid from the bed. I walked around the bed and took her face in my hands. "Are you sure that you're alright?" She closed her eyes and nodded at me, and I kissed her forehead. She raised her hand, and was immediately dressed.

"I'm going to Molly, please tell Remus that I'll make a Portkey when I've gotten her up. Also, let Harry know that we'll need to spend some time with him during the day," she told me, smiling weakly at me.

We both went down the stairs, Anwen stopping off at the room that Molly and Arthur shared, and I headed down to the lowest level where Remus was up monitoring the coming and goings in the house. We had someone awake now every night, since we had removed the house from the floo network, someone needed to be awake if we had late night guests on behalf of the Order to let them in. I wasn't really surprised to find Tonks there with him.

"Harry and the Weasley kids will be here soon. Harry had some sort of a dream and he saw Arthur being attacked while on guard duty tonight. Arthur has been taken to St. Mungo's. Anwen went to awaken Molly and tell her what we know, and she wants you to go with her," I explained. Moony had already stood and was nodding as I spoke.

"Charlie arrived a while ago, 5 days late, but Molly didn't know that he was coming home before Christmas Eve anyway. He's with your sister-in-law. I'll go get him, he'll want to go with his mother," Tonks said getting up and leaving the Dining Room where they were sitting, looking at some books together. We heard a commotion downstairs, and we both quickly went to the basement kitchen, were we found Harry and the others in a heap on the floor.

I listened as Harry recounted the tale, and Moony and I had to struggle to keep the kids from charging off to St. Mungo's with their mother. Charlie and Eira came down with Tonks, and while the reunion with his siblings was warm, it too was rushed due to the nature of the evening's events. Anwen came down, helping Molly navigate the stairs. She was surprised to see her second oldest son there, and it proved a pleasant distraction from the dire situation that Arthur was in. Anwen looked at Harry, and then looked at Remus and me.

"I think maybe I ought to stay here instead. Will you be okay without me?" she asked.

"I'll go with Mum and Remus, it'll be fine," Charlie said. "Can you come too, love?" he asked Eira, who was holding his hand, she nodded at him. Molly smiled at the young woman, and Eira reached over to rub her arm. _Molly has no idea that it won't be long before Eira is her daughter-in-law._ Anwen took an old dented metal plate, and said the incantation over it, and it glowed momentarily, and then went dark.

"I set it to go in a minute. You four hold on, and Remus, you know how to contact us," she said quietly. "Don't worry, Molly, we'll get them squared away and back to bed. Their rooms are all ready." Anwen said, indicating the kids, and then hugged Molly and then her sister. "I'm sure that he'll be fine, Molly. He's in good hands," she reassured her, and then stepped back. The plate glowed again, and then the quartet was gone.

"Come on now, let's go sit upstairs where it's more comfortable. Go on, the tree's up in the Sitting Room, and we can start the fire," Anwen said, trying to sound cheerful. She started shuffling the kids up the two flights of stairs. Tonks had put her arm around Ginny, and I was between Ron – who looked like a ghost – and Harry. Anwen followed us all up. The pinging sound of Jamie's alarm started again, perhaps it had never gone off, or maybe we were just willing to be distracted.

"Love, I'm going to go and get Jamie. I'll be down in a minute," I told my wife and went to retrieve my daughter. When I came back down, Anwen had gotten some butterbeer and tea, and the kids had taken up residence around the room. I summoned a bottle for Jamie, and Ginny reached out for the little girl.

"I'll feed her Uncle Sirius, it'll help distract me," she said quietly, and I gave her both the baby and the bottle. I then went to sit next to Anwen.

"Sirius, I'm sure that James and Lily don't know what's happened, or they'd be here. Do you think that you should nip on over there, and fill them in? I'm sure that it wasn't the first thing on Albus' mind," Anwen suggested and I nodded at her.

"I'll send a Patronus to tell them that I'm on my way over, and then go in a couple of minutes. Are you sure that you're okay here?"

"I've got Tonks, we'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll Patronus you, alright?" I walked out and went up the stairs to our bedroom, letting my griffin free from my wand as I went. I put on some clothes, and then headed down to the floo fireplace. We knew that the network was being watched now, which was part of the reason that we had removed our floos from the Ministry monitored system. We could only floo between the family houses. I walked through the green flames and was in the entryway at the Manor. James was waiting for me.

**Anwen POV:**

The night seemed to drag on. Ginny fed Jamie, and took her back upstairs and put her back down in her bed. I was watching Harry carefully, he seemed uncomfortable in his own skin, and like he didn't want to be around people; there was also something quite frightening, just behind his eyes. It wasn't long before Sirius returned with James in tow. Harry stood when his father entered the room, and went and threw his arms around him. James held his son tightly, whispering something in his ear. They walked out of the room with James arm draped around his son's shoulders.

Sirius sat down on the love seat next to me, and I melted myself to him. We didn't need to say anything; I knew that he could feel my concern and fear. The night eventually gave way to morning, and Molly, Remus and Eira came back with a report that Arthur would be fine. Charlie and Bill, who had arrived from Egypt in the last few hours, had stayed with him, and Molly would take the kids to see him later that day. We were getting up to head downstairs to begin breakfast, when James came down, and asked if we could come and talk with Harry upstairs. Molly and Eira took the Weasley kids downstairs for breakfast, and we headed up for an impromptu family meeting.

"Lily said she'll see everyone later, but she didn't want to wake Evan and Emma," James told us, and we all found places around Sirius' office. "Harry can you tell them what you told me, please?"

Harry recounted the tale of the evening to us, explaining how he knew that Arthur had been attacked, and how he felt as if he had been the snake that had attacked him. He went on to further explain his feelings towards Albus in his office after the attack, and how he was feeling now. His father and godfather tried to reassure him, but Harry was nearly beyond consoling. Finally it was Remus who spoke up, in his calm and quiet voice.

"Harry, there is nothing wrong with you. I can't explain what's happening, but I know that there is nothing wrong with you. Don't forget, your Aunt Winnie would be able to tell if something had changed in your magic, and as far as I know, she hasn't detected anything," he told Harry and I nodded in agreement. Harry finally seemed to calm down some at this. "I bet that you're just tired and overstimulated from the days events. Go on, eat some breakfast, and then get some sleep," he suggested, and we all agreed. Harry got up to leave, and I stopped him.

"Harry," I called to him, "later today, would it be okay if I go into your mind again? I want to make sure that you're still protected and to look at those memories, but only if it's okay with you."

"It's fine Aunt Winnie, just let me get some sleep," he said, and I nodded at him. When he left the room, I put a silencing charm over us.

"James, there's something that I need to tell you, and you can decide if you want to tell Lily or not," I explained. I wasn't sure, given how sensitive Lily had become to all of this, if she would be able to handle it. "When I was in Harry's mind the last time, I came across a portal or a passageway, to something or someone else. It wasn't at all like Harry's mind, and it frightened me. Remus looked at my memories, and we both reached the same conclusion," I had to stop and gather my thoughts. "Harry is somehow bound, magically, to Voldemort," I told them. I paused and took a deep breath. "I think that it might be tied to what Harry experienced last night. Albus didn't know what to make of it, and I was hoping to get more information before I told you, but clearly, that didn't happen."

The room was silent for a moment, and then James started peppering me with questions, but I didn't have any answers for them. Sirius just sat there, quiet. The lack of information was why I was certain that I needed to go back in, to see what he had seen and try to figure out what that other place was. We all stood, not really speaking, and started to leave. I looked at my husband, and the look of betrayal in Sirius' eyes was almost too much. We hung back after James and Remus had left.

"Why didn't you tell me? This is what's been eating at you, this is what's made you so tense?" he asked in a hurt voice. _ I never wanted him to find out like this. I knew that he wouldn't be able to take it well, but to find out that I kept this from him, when I had talked with others about it. I never should have handled it this way._

"Sirius, I wasn't even sure what I had come across, and I certainly couldn't put it into words, not ones that would explain it well. And then, well, dear you've been rather depressed lately, and you were finally getting better, I didn't want to take that happiness away from you," I tried to tell him. I could see the pain and distrust on his face.

"Anwen, you don't have to protect me, and you don't have to try and make me feel better. I'm an adult after all. It hurts to know that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about this," he told me, and then left the room. I sat back down in the chair and wept.

By late morning, nearly everyone else was asleep, everyone except Harry and me. James and Lily had taken Ethan and Lilyan back to the Manor with them, and Jamie and John were napping quietly. Sirius had avoided me since our conversation this morning, locking himself in his office. _ I pray that there isn't any Firewhiskey in there._ I was hoping to talk with him later, but right now, I needed to go back into Harry's mind.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, now? We could wait," I offered, but he shook his head at me.

"Let's get this over, maybe you'll be able to tell me what's going on," he said. I understood, and I told him to get comfortable. We were in the Sitting Room, he on the couch and I had pulled one of the wingback chairs over closer to him. I had also cushioned the area behind me, just in case we ended up with the same reaction as the last trip I made into the dark tunnel in Harry's mind.

"All right, I'm going in. If I ever make you feel uncomfortable or you don't like what's happening, please just let me know, okay?" Harry indicated yes, and I looked through the mist of his magic to once again find the door and walk in.

Harry's mind was still ordered like a locker room, and very little had changed. I moved through it rather quickly, this wasn't what I wanted to see. I noticed that he had 'cleaned up' a little more of the back of the room, which made me happy. He had been continuing to pack up and put away his memories. When I reached the second door, I hesitated for a second. _I wish that there was some way that I could record this. Wizards don't have camcorders like Muggles, but I would really like to have some sort of record of this. The others might be able to see something that I don't. I guess that Wizard pictures will have to do. _In my mind I pictured myself holding a camera, and it materialized in the hand of myself that was in Harry's mind. I also quickly conjured a lantern and floated it in front of me. I reached with my other hand and opened the door. As the door swung open, it was clear that it had been attacked from the other side, there were curse burns on the inside of the door. _That's not good. Did Voldemort figure out that this passage was here? _ I shook off my concerns, and started into the tunnel.

As I neared the other end, I extinguished my lantern, and raised the camera. I needed as many pictures as I could get. They would be more stable than just trying to look at things through my memories. If I was thrown out again, my images wouldn't be clear. I shot from as many angles as I could before I took a step, and then I would repeat the process. Again, just before I stepped out, I asked Harry if he was okay, and he confirmed that he was. On the precipice, I took as many pictures as I could and then I stepped into this new area.

It looked a bit like Hogwarts, like the main hallway that led into the Great Hall, but it was in complete disarray. The stones of the walls were crumbling and the wood of the buttresses was decaying and falling apart. There was a thick green/black slime that covered nearly everything, and the windows had been blown out, and shards of glass littered the floor. Scraps of parchment and tatters of books concealed the floor in places, and then there were others that seemed to have had the floorboards either ripped away or blasted to bits. There was a fire off in the distance, and I could see faint images floating in the sky, but I couldn't quite make out what they were. _Is that a ring, a cup? What the hell are those?_ I took as many pictures as I could, of as many things as I could, but I didn't want to push it. _Fact finding mission only Anwen, don't confront Him today._

When I had taken as many pictures as I thought would be helpful, I sent the camera out of my mind and had it materialize on my desk in the Library. I then conjured a small jar and scooped up some of the green goo, and sealed the jar and sent it to the same place as the camera. _ I might be able to get King to analyze that, or maybe I'll just have Remus do it. This is a family matter, not one for the Order, not just yet._

I backed myself out of the tunnel, and breathed a sigh of relief when I was back in Harry's mind. I closed the second door, and then checked on Harry again.

"Harry, are you still doing alright?" I asked quietly.

"I'm fine Aunt Winnie, you're very...gentle in there," he told me, and I appreciated his words.

"I'm going to try something honey, let me know if you feel anything, okay?"

"Sure."

I lifted my mental hand and I sealed the door in the back of Harry's mind. I knew that it wouldn't be a permanent solution, but it could help in the meantime.

"What did you do?" Harry asked me. "I feel better than I have since the vision last night."

"I just cleaned something up in there, okay. I'm coming out now," I told him, and I slowly extracted myself from him. I opened my eyes, and Harry was smiling at me. "Well, how do you feel? Is everything alright?"

"Fine, I'm actually relaxed now, thanks."

"Good," I smiled at him. "Why don't you go and try to get some rest, the others aren't planning to leave until around 3 to go and visit Mr. Weasley, it will give you time to sleep. I'll make sure that we save you some lunch," I urged him, and he left the room. I too left the Sitting Room and went to the Library, and sealed the door.

After I developed the pictures, I sat there in stunned silence. They were so much worse to look at than when I was standing there. I could concentrate on the destruction and I couldn't fathom just how broken and decayed this mind appeared. I pocketed the pictures and headed down the stairs. Sirius had emerged from his office and was in the Dining Room when I reached the first floor. We both stood there, looking at each other. James and Remus were with him, and they were trying in vain to not look at the pained expressions on both of our faces. I didn't even know that James had come back over. I ran my hand through my hair and exhaled slowly.

"Harry is fine, I went back into his mind, and I have a better idea of what that, thing, might be. I need to talk with Albus about this, right away" I told them. Remus and James nodded, Sirius seethed.

"Fine, go talk with someone else. Plan on telling me, or am I too delicate to know what you found?" he asked, his voice thick and deliberate. I kneaded the flesh between my eyes.

"Sirius, I will tell you when I get back, I'll tell you and show you all of it, but right now, I need to talk with Albus, because it could compromise all of us," I told him. I didn't have time for his moodiness right now. "Do you want me to take the babies with me, or are you okay with them?"

"What, I'm not capable of caring for my own children now?" he yelled at me.

"Most of the time you are, but I can smell the Firewhiskey on your breath," I said coldly. I had detected the odor as soon as he stood to speak to me. His eyes turned dark with anger.

"Are you calling me a drunk?"

"No, but..." this wasn't the time for this and I knew it. "Never mind, I shouldn't be long," I said, and quickly turned on my heels and left, feeling my eyes burning. I could feel his pain and it was breaking my heart, but I had to deal with Harry's situation first.

The next week was uncomfortable at best. I came back from my meeting with Albus livid. His plans were something that I completely disagreed with. He intended to distance himself from Harry in every possible way, and went so far as to suggest that the rest of us do as well. He also wanted to continue Harry's Occlumency lessons, but with Snape teaching him; something to which I had taken great offense. I hadn't spoken with my mentor since that meeting in his office. I wasn't even sure if he would be coming to see his godson on Christmas. The only thing about his absence that would bother me, would be how my eldest son would feel if he didn't see his "Dumbwy".

Things were strained with Sirius as well. I apologized to him, for keeping what I had found in Harry's mind from him, and he accepted it; but there was still discord there. I knew that it wasn't entirely directed at me, that some of it was simply the situation that he was in, but I hadn't helped it. He often came to bed long after I was asleep, and I would need to get up and take care of the kids in the morning. He would only get up and leave our room when I came in to shower and head out to work. Our tenth wedding anniversary was only a week away, and I wasn't sure if we would indeed be going away to celebrate or not. James and Lily and Remus and Tonks had volunteered to care for our children for us, so that we could get away from everything, and enjoy our anniversary. Sirius and I were barely speaking now, would we really want to go away together?

Christmas morning was beautiful, and I tried to push past the problems with my husband for the sake of my children. We celebrated at Grimmauld, even the whole Potter family stayed overnight, which made our usually overfilled house feel even more crowded. I couldn't complain however, it was the first time that I saw Sirius really smile all week. The biggest surprise was when Charlie proposed to my sister. Of course, she said yes and the ring was beautiful. I couldn't help but see the look of sadness in Tonks' eyes, that it was my 18 year old sister who was getting a ring, instead of her. _Okay there Remus, time to shit or get off the pot with her. If you're not going to marry her, at least let her go so that she can find some happiness somewhere else._

**Sirius POV:**

"You ready?" I asked her quietly. She nodded at me, and together we stepped into the floo and were soon in our flat in Monaco. She went about unpacking our bags, but she was silent. "Anwen, if you don't want to be here, we can go back home..." I suggested and she turned to look at me.

"You want to leave?" she whispered, clearly hurt. "Is it that awful to be around me?" A tear feel from her cheek. I wasn't sure how to respond to her, that wasn't what I was saying, but things had been so strained between us, I couldn't even begin to explain what I meant. I was still angry that she felt like she needed to keep things from me, but I missed her too.

"Anwen, it's not that," I tried to back pedal. I leaned my back against the dresser and looked at her. She was fingering a negligee in her hands. "I just don't know how to proceed here. I'm already feeling useless, and then I find out that you don't need me either..." she cut me off.

"You think I don't need you? Sirius, I have been dying inside these last weeks, I feel like I'm adrift and I can't find my way back to shore, because every time I opened myself up to your emotions all I felt was anger and distrust. I figured you didn't need me anymore," she said between the sobs that were rippling through her. I closed the distance between us and took her in my arms. _ How could I have been so stupid._

"Of course I need you, I just figured that you were so disappointed in me that you were finding other sources of strength to cope," I told her. _ Sounds like we both forgot to actually talk to the other one._ She finally looked up at me and I could see the same thought dawning on her.

"I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but part of me hoped that if I didn't say anything, then maybe it wasn't real. That was wrong of me, please, forgive me. I need you so badly, I love you," she whimpered at me.

"Hey, it's okay. I love you too. I shouldn't have over-reacted either. Of course you were scared by what you came across, hell, Voldemort has latched himself onto Harry's mind," I told her, finally coming to the realization how frightening it must have been for her to have encountered it. I leaned down and kissed her and as our lips met, she threw a wave of longing at me that blew me away. I picked her up and carried her to our bed. I could feel just how badly she needed me, how badly she wanted to forget Voldemort and simply be one with me. I was sure that I had torn both her blouse and her panties in my rush to free her from them, but they could be replaced, my wife needed me – and it was something that I could most definitely give her.

Anwen took control of our love making, which was rare. We usually just, knew, what the other wanted, but it certainly wasn't unwelcome to have her let me know exactly what she wanted. As she moved over me, her eyes never left mine. We didn't feel the need to speak, our bodies simply took over and when we were done, I held her against me, realizing just how much I had missed this level of intimacy.

"Sirius, I am so sorry that I didn't trust you, that I didn't give you the chance to react on your own. I've just been so frightened, there are days it feels like you're slipping away from me and the kids. I love you so much, I can't bear to be without you..." she whispered, and I could feel her hot tears hitting my chest.

"Anwen, I'm not going anywhere; but you're right, I haven't really been the most supportive either. We were both wrong, we both forgot something very important," I told her, running my hands over her back. "We forgot that we have to trust each other, more than we trust anyone else."

"You're so very right love," she lifted her head to look at me. "I have missed you my darling. I love you."

"And I love you." We lay there for a while, and she shifted herself down into the crook between my arm and my chest. Her hand moved its way across my chest and came to it's resting place, and I knew that she had dozed off, and I too closed my eyes, content in the knowledge that we had somehow weathered yet another storm in our marriage.

**Anwen POV:**

The kids were back to school, and I was less convinced that Severus was the right person to be teaching Harry his remaining lessons in Occlumency. He believed that you could "whip a mind into shape" and teach it to block things. I believed that as with teaching anything, it was a gentle, leading touch that would produce the best results.

Harry had used his mirror last night to communicate with his father, who had relayed the message that his Occlumency lessons would begin tomorrow. The mirrors were the only secure form of communication that we had in and out of the school now. Sirius and I had been relaxing at the breakfast table with our children alone this morning, a rare occurrence. Molly had taken Arthur back to the Burrow to help him complete his recuperation in peace, and Eira had left for work at the ministry. There were no members of the Order currently here, and for a few minutes at least, it was just our family here.

"More Mummy," Lilyan said, handing me her cup. She had her father's love for pumpkin juice. I removed the lid from her sippy cup and filled it again and handed it back to her. Her second birthday was only weeks away. The party would be very small this year, there would be no way to get the Hogwarts kids away from the school with the toad watching so closely. We were worried about my being able to get in to help with the Defense club.

"Here you go, Ladybird. Finish up your toast and then you can get down and go play," I told her, and she picked up a small square of the toast that I had cut up for her. Sirius was cutting up another banger for Ethan. "How many has he eaten this morning?"

"This is his third," he told me proudly.

"Wonderful, when he's sick all over the floor, you can clean it up. Oh, look at the time, I have to meet with Amelia at 10 today," I told him, gathering my dishes and getting up from the table. I heard the front door chime, and looked at Sirius perplexed. "We aren't expecting anyone, are we?"

"Not that I know of, but nothing would surprise me anymore. Do you want me to get it?" he asked.

"I'm up, I'll get it," I told him, tying the sash of my dressing gown more tightly around myself. I reached the front door and unlatched it, and was surprised to find Kingsley on the front stoop. "King, come on in, its freezing out there," I said, stepping aside to let him come in.

"Anwen, I need to talk with you and Sirius, right away. Something happened last night that affects you both," he told me, his face full of seriousness. I nodded and led him back down to the kitchen area.

"Um, would you like some breakfast, a cup of tea?" I asked him and he shook me off.

"Not right now, Anwen." he said, and then I watched as his face took on the Aurors mask that I knew better than most. "Last night there was a break out from Azkaban. Anwen, ten Death Eaters have escaped, including the Lestranges," he told me. I fell to the floor, and my heart was racing. The world was taking on a black tinge to it, and I could see the walls shrinking in on me. Sirius was immediately at my side, but I could barely breathe.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered before everything went dark and warm.


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: Hello there happy readers, well, here it is, the chapter that has been causing so many people concern. I had toyed with the idea of splitting it in half, but decided to leave it the way it is, you can thank me for that later. Songs for this chapter: "Knight of Cydonia" by Muse and "Fragile" by Sting. I don't own Harry, or Sirius (darn it all) but I do like tweaking their stories so. Thanks for reading and reviewing, Mutt**

**Chapter 33:**

**The Torn Veil**

**Anwen POV:**

"I told you that this was a disastrous idea!" I yelled at him. Albus was in the Library, and I had sealed the door. He had returned to Grimmauld, after a week away somewhere, he hadn't told us where he was, but had left Fawkes here should we need to reach him. He didn't want to be in the house when all the kids were home for Easter break. Now that school had resumed, he was back here. He'd been staying here since he had escaped Hogwarts, when Fudge came to arrest him. "His mind is an utter disaster area, and the door has been tampered with. What, did Severus loosen it up, so that Voldemort could break in easier? Was it supposed to help with his damned cover?" I was livid at the mess he had made.

"Anwen, there is more at stake here," he started this whole song and dance again. _Yes, there's much that we don't know, because you won't tell us. You need to have all the information, don't you old man?_

"Save it Albus, I've heard it all before. You're manipulating things again, making sure that no one knows everything so that you can play God. You did it with me when I was younger, thankfully, Perenelle chose to fill me in. Do you have any idea how frightened I would have been if she hadn't been honest with me about what distance visualization can do to your mind? How you begin to distrust everything you see, because you can't tell one reality from the other? You would have kept me in the dark, pushing me to learn increasingly more, see more, and slowly driving me into madness. I won't do the same thing to Harry. Tell me everything, or you know damned well that I will find out on my own."

He stared at me for a minute, and then spoke. "I wish you luck on your quest," I inhaled deeply, and then stood up, opened the door, and pointed at it. Albus left without another word, I had no idea if he would stay in the house or not, but I most certainly didn't want him in my private space. I closed the door and took out the large satchel of parchment that I had hidden in my filing cabinet, and began poring over it again. _He doesn't realize that we've already figured it out. We just wanted to give him the chance to be honest with us. _

I looked up at the wall, where I had hung a framed copy of the _Quibbler_ interview that Harry had given and smiled. _He is one savvy kid, and he has some very, very smart friends. He's going to need them around him, when we let him know what's going on._

**Eira POV:**

"Really sis, you can't be serious about this," I told her.

"She's not Sirius, I am," my brother in law quipped back, and I just looked at him disgusted. _ How does she put up with that same, lame joke? Really, he's cute and all, and clearly they have mind blowing sex, but he's a bit of a dork._

"Yeah, yeah, funny Sirius," I said, rolling my eyes at him. I turned back to Anwen without passing further comment on his lame joke. "You can't possibly want me to take the farm, you love that place."

"Sis, I want you to go and live there. You're a young woman, with a very handsome fiancé. Living with your much older sister, her husband and their four children in a house that doubles as a headquarters for a secret society can't be fun. Go and move into the farm, please. It was your home too, and it will give you more, um, privacy," she said.

"Like you should be one to talk about needing privacy," I told her with a sly smile and she nodded at me. Anwen really wanted me to move out to the farm, to have a place of my own, sort of. I was shocked, and thrilled too. "All right, if it's what you want, then I'll do it. But you have to promise that you'll come out and visit, and let the kids come and stay too."

"Of course, but it really is time that you had a place of your own. Anyway, Molly will have a harder time interrupting you if you're in Wales." My mother-in-law to be had a great habit of finding Charlie and me in the most compromising positions, I would be thankful to be free of the constant threat of her walking in on us.

Two weeks later, in the middle of June, I watched as Sirius, Remus and Charlie moved the last of my things out to the farm house. Remus would still be living in the barn apartment, but there was a rather large expanse of yard between our house and his. Anwen and Sirius wouldn't take any money from me, even though I had a fair amount in my bank accounts. They said they owned the house outright, and they were glad that it would get some use. Molly was in the kitchen, prattling on while making dinner for us all. I was surprised when Arthur came out of the fireplace with Anwen and the kids.

"Look who I found at home," Anwen said as Arthur came through the floo. "He was looking for dinner, I let him know that it would be here tonight." They each had two kids by the hands. The twins first birthday was next week, and they were both beginning to walk, although Jamie was far less steady on her feet than John. Anwen was gleeful when she was telling Tonks and me last week that she had made it a whole year without getting pregnant, which for the last few years of her life, appeared to be quite a feat.

We settled down for a wonderful meal of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I watched Charlie eat, and realized that I would need to learn to cook better before he moved in here with me. I somehow doubted that my sandwich making expertise wouldn't be enough to conquer his appetites. James and Lily brought their kids over, and we ate ice cream outside and then we watched as the children were chasing after fireflies in the backyard. I was sitting on a deck chair, well Charlie was on the deck chair and I was sitting on his lap.

"So, beautiful, how many children do you want?" he asked me. I looked at him and smiled.

"6, nice round number, and they always have someone to play with. There were really only 4 of us growing up, Anwen wasn't ever home by the time I was born. It was fine, but we couldn't play team sports so well, two on two doesn't always cut it. So, I'd like 6."

"Then 6 it shall be. Mum will be thrilled, loves kids, if you couldn't tell," he told me back. I watched as Molly sat with Jamie, holding a firefly between her cupped hands so the toddler could see it light up better.

"You know, before we have kids, we probably should set a date for the wedding. I don't think that either of our parents would be happy if we went and started having babies without being married first," I reminded him.

"Well, when do you want to get married? Did you dream of being a summer bride or a winter one?" he asked me, and I couldn't help but smile.

"How did you know to ask that?"

"I do have a sister, and she loved to play bride when she was little. Ginny would make flower crowns and put on an old bath towel as a train and prance around the house. She would always want to marry Harry Potter, even though she really didn't put together that the boy from her storybooks was the same little boy she played with at Anwen and Sirius'. She was like 7 or 8 when she finally realized that they were one and the same, then she was embarrassed. Anyway, I used to be the wizard who would do the ceremony for her. It made her happy," he explained, and I loved picturing him making his little sister happy. _He'll be a really good Dad someday._

"I've always dreamed of being a fall bride. I love when the colors change, and there is this Canadian holiday, in early October, called Thanksgiving; when we take a day just to remember all that we have to be thankful for. It's a beautiful holiday, and if we could be married near it, I would be so excited. I'd like to be married outdoors, and I want my family to be here," I told him and he smiled at me.

"Then that's what we'll do. We'll get married in the fall next year. I promised your Dad I'd wait until you were twenty," he said, lightly kissing me. "Do you want to tell them now, or wait for another time?" Before I could answer his question, I saw Anwen and Sirius standing at the far side of the lawn, talking to one of those patronus charm things that they all seemed to be able to do. Anwen had tried to teach me, but Defensive spells were never my strongest suit. I was much better with History, Charms and Potions than with dueling. I could make a good mist, but nothing with form. The thing dissolved into thin air, and Anwen came rushing over to us. I got up off Charlie's lap.

"Eir, can the kids stay with you tonight? There seems to be a problem with the Hogwarts kids, and I need, well we need to get over to the Ministry."

"Sure, they've got clothes and things here, I made sure that we packed some. Can I help?"

"It would be a bigger help for me to know that they are safe and out of harm's way. You sure this isn't a problem?" she asked me, clearly worried about something.

"Not a problem at all, go on. I'll talk to you in the morning," she nodded and took off to floo back to Grimmauld Place, followed by James, Remus and Sirius. Lily was talking with Molly and Arthur and then she too went toward the house. Charlie and I walked over to his parents, who were now talking with Evan and Emma.

"You're going to come and spend the night at GranMolly's house, won't that be fun?" Molly said to the two Potter kids, and they both were nodding their heads. She looked up at us, "Are you two going to be okay with those four, they can be a handful. You could bring them to our house," she suggested.

"We'll be fine Mum, but I am going to stay here tonight, just to make sure that Eira can handle it all, okay?" I watched Molly raise one eyebrow and look at her son in a very motherly way. _Damn she can be scary. _She proceeded to remind us of all sorts of things that we already knew, but we nodded and listened anyway. A short time later, they picked up the Potter children, and apparated to the Burrow. Charlie looked relieved that his parents were gone.

**Lily POV:**

I flooed to Grimmauld, and everyone was standing in the kitchen, clearly waiting for me. Tonks, Mad Eye and King had joined us, and I could see that Anwen was distance watching, her eyes were closed and she had her head slightly bowed, her chin resting on her chest. Sirius was standing behind her, holding her to him. We all knew from experience that Anwen sometimes lost her balance when she was watching things not happening in the same room that she was in, I walked over and wove my arm around my husband. _Harry is going to make me gray before I'm 40, even with all the glamor charms in the world. _

"They're in the Hall of Prophecies, I can't see anyone else there yet," she said, opening her eyes and looking up. Sirius continued to hold her, and he began speaking.

"Severus told us that the kids took off after Harry got a vision that I was being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Everyone has kept up with their binding potion, correct?" he asked, and I saw that everyone was nodding in affirmation.

"Okay, Lils, you're going to find someplace to hide with Anwen. She can't fight and protect the kids, and her protection skills are much more valuable right now. There are more than enough of us to get the 6 kids out of there safely," James told me. I wasn't surprised that this was going to be my job, I really wasn't much of a dueler.

"You three, leave the Death Eaters that might show up to us, we can arrest them and put them in jail. Sirius, any other Aurors arrive, get yourself out of there, having you end up arrested too won't do anyone any good," Mad Eye growled. "All right then, we've given you all emergency medical Portkeys, should you need them, and get the kids out, and bring them here. We'll get them back to school one way or another. Come on, let's be going," he added, and we all went upstairs and out into the backyard, where we began apparating to the Ministry.

We apparated straight into Anwen's office, and then from there, into the Department of Mysteries, because the floor was so heavily warded, you could only apparate in from certain places within the Ministry itself. Thankfully, being part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement meant that Anwen's office was cleared for apparition. When we got to the lowest level, Anwen again closed her eyes and we could all see her eyes moving behind her eyelids. My heart was racing, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to calm myself. _ This is my child, Voldemort lured him here, maybe lured all of us here. What the hell was Harry thinking? Why didn't he try to reach us, why didn't he find a way to talk to his father and me? We could have let him know that his godfather was fine, what the hell happened?_

"There are Death Eaters here, I count at least 8 of them," Anwen said quietly. "The kids are all fine, but they're taking quite a beating. They're in the Death Chamber," she said and Kingsley led the way through the hallway, he said the correct incantation, and the right door revealed itself. We immediately started entering, the Aurors going first, followed by Remus, leaving James, Sirius, Anwen and me in the doorway. I could see the dais with the archway below us. James pointed at something.

"There, see that ledge, about halfway down, stay with Anwen there," he said, and I watched as Sirius apparated his wife to the ledge. I followed, and stood in front of Anwen, who was kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were closed and her hands were open. I could faintly see them glowing. "Remus has two of the kids, Ginny and Luna. He's trying to help Ginny, she seems to have hurt her leg. They've got two more now...James just sent Harry to collect the rest of his friends, and help get them out of here. They're all going to need to go to St. Mungo's...damn it, there's Bella and her," Anwen swallowed loudly, "husband." I knew that the Lestranges were some of Anwen's least favorite people.

A slight smile escaped Anwen's face, "Good job Harry, you're nearly as proficient as your dad," she whispered.

"Anwen, Albus is here. He's rounding up the Death Eaters," I told her, and she nodded at me.

"Harry is getting Neville, and they're getting out of here," she told me with relief. Then, her breathing got ragged and I could see her shaking her head, "Don't antagonize her, just get the kids out of here..." she scolded someone and then her eyes shot open and the color completely drained from her face.

"NO!" she screamed and immediately stood and threw herself from the ledge that we were on.

**James POV:**

Everything seemed to stop. I saw the curse hit him, and Sirius lose his balance and then fall back through the curtain. The world ended for a moment, and then the peace was broken by the most painful cry I had ever heard. It seemed to morph, from a guttural scream to a bird cry and then back again. It wasn't until Anwen appeared in front of me, that I realized that was exactly what it was. She had changed, flown down and then changed back, screaming the entire way, while the recognition that her beloved husband was gone moved through her.

Both she and Harry went charging towards the veil. Remus had picked up Harry and I grabbed Anwen around the waist. I couldn't let her follow him into there, I couldn't let their children become orphans. She was kicking and screaming and crying all at once.

"James let go of me, I have to get him, I have to pull him back out," she yelled at me, throwing her arms wildly.

"Anwen, you can't, he's gone," I told her, now crying myself. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My closest friend, the man I had known most of my life, the one I considered my brother, was gone. I couldn't imagine the pain that Anwen was in, if I felt like my heart had been ripped out of me.

"Let go of me, he...can't....be...gone..." her body was shaking, and she could barely pull a breath into her. "He...wouldn't....leave...me....." she wept, still kicking and screaming. I could hear that horrid, cackling laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange, and I could see her slinking away from the room. Harry broke free of Remus, and went charging after her. I wanted to go after him, but I knew that if I let Anwen go, she would dive for the curtain. We had to get her out of here, somehow.

"Anwen, please stop struggling, you're going to hurt yourself," I told her, but she simply continued to wail and thrash. I didn't know what I was going to do, other than stun her to get her out, except given how close she was to me, I wasn't sure that I could put the curse on her without missing, and I would only get one shot, her shield would be up the instant that I tried.

Remus came over, and was trying to get hold of her as well, and for a moment, our eyes met. He too was crying, and I knew that seeing Anwen like this would be even harder on him.

**Anwen POV:**

_He can't be gone, I can still feel him, he's so scared and lost. Why don't they understand that he's not dead, I can feel him?_ I struggled against James and I saw Remus in front of me. _Good, maybe he can talk some sense into James. I need to get my husband out of there._ Remus wasn't talking to James, he was looking at me, with pity in his eyes. _He thinks he's dead too._ I could see his hand move toward his wand, and I immediately became afraid. I closed my eyes and pulled all the magic that I could into my hands, and then pushed out the strongest shield charm that I could. I could feel James let go of me, and when I opened my eyes, everyone had been thrown against the walls, my family, Order members, Death Eaters, kids. I didn't care, I knew that they would all leave me alone now, so that I could go and get my husband.

I sat down and put up a smaller, stronger shield around me, and then I released my astral self. She stood and walked around. I could see out of her eyes, and everyone was surprised to see the golden yellow misty Anwen look around. I then stepped through the veil, and began my search for Sirius.

I could feel him, but his connection was weakening. This world was dark, and it was populated with creatures that I had never seen before. They looked like echoes of people, but they were thin and misty, like ghosts would be. Some were more solid than others, but they were all a rather dull grayish green color. They had sharp teeth and they kept trying to bite at me. Not being corporeal, I wasn't worried about myself, my body was safely on the other side. I was terrified for Sirius. I continued to walk ahead, trying to find his magic so that I could lead my astral self to him.

**Remus POV:**

I got up and stumbled over to where Tonks was. "What the hell was that?" she asked me.

"What, the magical shock wave that she sent out, or the astral projection of herself that just went behind the veil?" I asked her. She just shrugged at me, shocked. "Are you all right?"

"I think so, is he really gone?" I wasn't sure what to say. _You're supposed to be dead beyond the veil, but Anwen seems so convinced, I don't know._

"I wish I knew what to say love, but I don't. Can you round up these Death Eaters? I'm going to check on her," I said, kissing her cheek and then standing to walk over to Anwen. She was sitting on the hard floor, eyes closed, palms up. Her hands were glowing with their shared magic, and she seemed so at peace. I got within about a foot of her, and I couldn't get any closer. I just stood there watching her.

Lily and James got the rest of the kids patched up, and put the Portkeys on them to send them out of the Ministry. Kingsley, Mad Eye and Tonks rounded up the Death Eaters and took them to the holding cells on the first floor, so that they could be prepared for Azkaban. I sat there, guarding, watching Anwen.

I don't know how much time passed, it seemed to be moving differently somehow. My body was starting to ache with the wounds from our dueling, and from sitting still for so long. James came back, and took up a vigil at my side.

"How long has she been like this?" I asked him.

"It's been at least three hours, as it's nearly four a.m. now. Lily took Harry home, but I fully expect him to come back when he can get away from her. He believes that Anwen is going to somehow bring Sirius back," he said quietly. I nodded at him, but continued to watch Anwen's hands glow with magic.

Our vigil lasted through the rest of the night. A little after six, Lily came back, with Harry and Ginny in tow. I was shocked when both of the kids were able to sidle up to Anwen, Harry sitting on her right, his head on her shoulder, Ginny on her left, laying her head in her lap. There was a cast on Ginny's leg, and Harry had helped her in, but other than that, she seemed to be healing. _Anwen must know that they believe he's still alive, and that she will bring him back._ I went to try to get close to her as well, but she must have sensed my doubt, because I still couldn't get near her.

**Anwen POV:**

The farther away from the opening I got, the less dense the throng of creatures was. These seemed more docile as well, some were simply lifeless echoes. I wasn't sure what had caused them to be this way, but I suspected that these were people who didn't want to go on into the next great adventure. I was sure that I wouldn't find Nicolas or Perenelle here.

It was getting much darker here as well, and there were many more crevices to hide in. I stopped moving when I came to an area devoid of any of the creatures, and tried to reach out for Sirius. I could still feel him, but it was hard to pinpoint his exact location. I opened myself up fully to his emotions, and I could still feel his fear, but there was also a sense of despair that was overtaking him. I needed to find him soon.

Suddenly, there was a surge in my magical power. This wasn't magic that I was used to using, it was unstructured, but strong. I let it course through me, and then I again reached out for Sirius. This time I could find him, he was still a bit of a distance off, but I could find him, his signature, his heartbeat was getting stronger inside of me as well.

I raised my hand and let my griffin go, and I watched as it bounded off and then took flight. _I must be close enough that it can go and find him._ I followed in the direction that the griffin went off in. I kept moving in the same direction, stopping occasionally to reorient myself and send out another griffin to follow.

I could finally see Sirius' magic, it was inside a cave of sorts. Not being solid, I didn't have to climb the mountain to get to the cave about halfway up, I simply imagined myself inside, and I was there. It was pitch black in the cave, so I conjured a lantern and began searching. I could hear his breathing, and I could feel his ragged heartbeat. _He's so frightened._

"Sirius, love, it's just me, it's Winnie. I've come to bring you home, love," I said as gently and quietly as I could. There wasn't an immediate response.

"Go away, I know that you're trying to trick me," he said. I took a few more hesitant steps in the direction of his voice.

"No love, I'm not trying to trick you, I'm here to bring you home," I told him, again stepping closer to where I heard the voice coming from. When I turned a small bend, I was shocked at what I saw. Sirius was there, huddled in a ball. His hair was longer and wilder than it had been when I had seen him out in the real world, and it had streaks of gray. His beard was unkempt and significantly longer. He had bite mark scars all over his body, and his lips were cracked and dry. His eyes were partially hidden by his hair, but they darted around, like he was a hunted animal. He looked like he'd been gone for weeks or months, instead of a few hours.

"Sirius," I said, reaching out for him. I wouldn't actually be able to touch him, but I wanted him to know that it was me.

"Get away from me!" he screamed, and scrambled away. "You can't be real, my Winnie was on the other side, and I can still feel her heartbeat," he told me.

"I'm her, Sirius. You're seeing my astral self. Remember, I can project myself, and I came in to find you. I want to take you home. You remember our home, we live at Grimmauld Place, and we spend every night in our bed, where we can lay and watch the stars. Our bedroom has a mural on it of Hogwarts, and when you touch it with your wand, you can hear me sing," I told him.

"No, you're a figment of my mind. My Winnie isn't here, she's safe, she's alive," he told me, still backing away into the darkness, I really though that his words were to convince himself, not me.

"I swear Sirius, it's me. Ask me anything, ask me something that only I would know," I begged him. I needed him to follow me back.

"What are the names of our children?" he asked.

"That's simple, are you sure you don't want something harder?" He shook his head at me. "All right, our eldest is named Ethan Seren, which means a strong star, and his birthday is March twenty-fourth. He just turned three and acts so much like you that it frightens me some days," I told him, gently taking a step back from the wall of the cave, stepping towards the opening. My beloved husband followed me. "His hair is brown and his eyes are the color of robin's eggs and he loves to fly and play Quidditch with you, although I still think he will be a Chaser rather than a Beater," I told him, and I could almost see a smile on his face. I took another few steps and he continued to follow me.

"We have a beautiful daughter named Lilyan Vega. We named her after your cousin Andromeda and my best friend Lily. She has jet black hair and bright green eyes and she and Emma Potter look like they could be twins. They were born two days apart, and they are inseparable. You call her your little Ladybird, and she loves Ginny Weasley," I continued to talk and we continued to walk out of the cave. I wasn't sure how I was moving backwards without tripping over things, but I really wasn't going to ask. _Clearly things move differently here._

"We have a wonderful set of twins who are going to turn one next week. John Sirius and Jamie Lyra. We named them after your best friends, and they're their godfathers. They are into everything, and just last week you yelped when you were Padfoot, because John pulled a handful of fur out, trying to pull himself into a standing position while holding onto you," I told him. We reached the entrance to the cave, and he stopped moving.

"I'm not going out there. You're trying to trick me, make me leave here, so that they can....no, I refuse to leave here," Sirius said, planting himself down on the ground.

"Darling, I can't get you back from here, I need to get you closer to the entranceway. I promise I will protect you, I will do my best to keep those things away from you, but you have to come back with me. I'm worried about you, so are Prongs and Moony. Come on, please trust me. Our love will protect you," I told him, hoping that it would be true. He looked at me, clearly debating whether I was telling the truth or not, after what felt like an eternity, he stood and nodded.

"You'll have to climb down from here, but I'll stay right by your side, I promise. I promised that I would never leave you, and I haven't, see, I'm right here," I told him, desperately wanting to reach out and touch him.

We made it down the rock face, and we started back toward the gateway. I instinctively knew how to get back to my solid body, and somehow, we were able to keep the things from attacking Sirius. The walk back seemed to take forever, he was so weak, but we kept pushing on. I continued to tell him stories of our life, things that only I would know, or memories that I knew would soothe him. The gateway was in sight, just over the next rise, but Sirius stopped, obviously again, paralyzed with fear.

"There are so many of them. Getting through them the first time was so hard," he told me, running his left hand over the swollen scars on his right arm. His breathing was ragged and uneven, and he began to sway on his feet.

"Sirius, I know it was hard, I came through them too, but once we get through, we can get out of here, and go home to our children. I will be there to hold you in my arms, and I will never, ever let go if that's what you want," I told him. I couldn't cry in this form, but I knew that I would be crying if I could. My arms ached to hold him. We were so close, I had to get him moving again. I had to get him out of here. "Sirius, do you remember when I woke up from the attack, that night, in the ballroom. No one else knows what happened there, only you and I," I told him and he nodded at me.

"You listen to me, and you just look at me, and follow me back out, all right. Nothing else, don't pay attention to anything else," I begged him and he nodded again. So I began singing. I hadn't played the song in years, but I knew all the words, they were burned into my memory. He had brought me back with the song. I hoped I could do the same now.

It was the song that he played over and over that first night, in my music dorm room when he was only sixteen. That first summer together, that first night we ever told each other how we felt. It was the first Muggle rock song that Sirius fell in love with. "Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither wildly as they slip away across the universe..." I sang, singing the whole song twice through, until we were at the other side of the gateway. I looked at my husband, wishing I could stroke his face and kiss his lips.

"When I tell you to, close your eyes and don't open them until you feel my arms around you, all right. You're nearly home," I promised him. I turned and released my patronus, and it leaped through the veil. I could see James, Remus, Harry and Ginny near my body, but they seemed to be moving in slow motion. I turned around again, and looked at Sirius. "No matter what happens, do not open your eyes, and don't move from here. You will be in my arms in a moment. All right, close your eyes." He obeyed and I let my astral self fly back into my human body. I knew that I lacked the magical strength to project and summon Sirius through the gateway.

I stood my physical body up, which ached and was stiff, but I didn't care, and raised my hands and summoned Sirius to me. I heard gasps as his body came flying back through the gateway. He landed hard at my feet, and I bent down and cradled him to me and kissed him gently. "You can open your eyes, I'm here, and you're alive," I told him, and I wept as I saw his beautiful gray eyes. There were sounds of shock when his friends saw his condition, but I couldn't deal with that now. Several of the spirits had attempted to attach themselves to him as he flew through. I banished them back into the other world, but I could see hands grasping to come through. _We must have done something to the portal when I pulled him out. I can't let all those things come back to this plane. _ I raised my hand and put up a ward around it.

"We need to get out of here, I need to destroy the gateway!" I screamed. James lifted Sirius and hoisted him over his shoulder and started carrying him out. Harry had lifted Ginny and Remus came to help me out. I didn't realize how weak I felt until I had tried to move. When we reached the door, I fired a _Bombarda_ spell from my left hand, and watched as the archway crumbled into a heap. The floor shook and the walls rattled, but none of those creatures had made it through.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against Remus' shoulder and let the exhaustion take me over.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, I know that the last chapter was somewhat surprising. Now we find out what some of the consequences of Anwen's actions are. I have been warned by my amazing beta Peter that you need to have a tissue warning with this chapter. Songs for this chapter are: "Angel" by Sarah MacLachlan and "Edge of the Water" by Jars of Clay. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 34:**

**And So It Begins...Again**

**Remus POV:**

_I'm in shock, utter disbelief. How had Anwen done that? How had she brought Sirius back from the dead? What the hell had happened to him? What are those marks all over him? They look like bite marks, and why does he look so bad, it's only been a day and a half. _James and I carried them out into the main hallway of the Department of Mysteries, and I saw three patronuses fire from his wand. He then turned to look at his son.

"You've got your Portkey on, right?" he asked and Harry nodded at him. "Good, hold onto Ginny and activate it. It will take you back to the Manor. Let your mother and Eira know what happened, and have them wait there with the Black kids. Uncle Remus or I will send word as soon as we can. Your Mum will be expecting you."

"Dad, is he all right? I want to go to the hospital with you..." Harry started to protest, but James shook his head vigorously.

"You need to go home, he's alive, but I don't know what happened there. I need to get Anwen and Sirius to hospital. Don't argue with me, young man," he told his son, and Harry relented, pulling the Portkey necklace from his shirt. He wrapped one arm around Ginny's waist and put the charm to his lips, and they were instantly gone. I looked at James, still shaking my head.

"What the hell happened in there?" I asked, not expecting him to answer.

"I don't know, but we need to get them to St. Mungo's. Sirius looks like hell, and Anwen must be drained," he said, and I nodded. "I already let them know that we are on the way there, and asked that the same Healer that treated Anwen when she was poisoned be present. We won't have to explain the shared magic that way. I also let Albus know, he can inform the rest of the Order. Do you still have one of the medical Portkeys?" he asked me, and I removed the smooth stone from my pocket. "All right, I'll see you there in a moment," he said, activating his, and I watched as my two best friends swirled from sight. Anwen stirred in my arms.

"Where did Sirius go?" she said, opening her eyes in horror.

"Anwen, James took him to hospital. We're about to follow," I told her.

"Let's go then, no one is touching him before I get a chance to talk with them about what happened," she said, her voice weak but clearly in charge. I activated the Portkey, and instantly we were in the trauma department at St. Mungo's. When we arrived, there were several hospital personnel as well as James trying to contain Sirius. He was screaming, wild eyed, desperately trying to find something. _Probably Anwen._ She leaped from my arms and ran to him, climbing up on the bed and nearly sitting in his lap.

"Sirius, Sirius love, stop, I'm right here," she said, her hands moving over his face and to his chest. They came to rest over his heart, and her left hand remained there while the right one went back to his face. Her hand began to glow on his chest. "They didn't know not to separate us, James was just trying to get us here safely. I'm right here, I didn't leave you, I never left you," she pleaded with him, tears falling down her face. Sirius seemed to calm down, and Anwen pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. "I told you, I promised you, I wouldn't leave you alone, you're safe darling, I won't leave you again, just hold onto me," she said quietly, before gently kissing him. Her left hand remained over his heart, now glowing stronger, and she shifted herself so that she could look at us. "He'll be alright now, you didn't know to keep me with him, it's okay," she said, trying to reassure us. I still wasn't even sure what was going on, but Anwen was clearly in control, regardless of how weak she was. Sirius eased himself back onto the bed, his breathing becoming regular. Anwen's hand remained on him.

"Ma'am, we need to examine your husband," one of the healers said, and Anwen shook his head.

"No one will touch him until Healer Orlaf is here. Now, you may bring in some re-hydrating and strengthening potions, he will also need a wound cleaning potion applied, and then a Murtlap Essence wrap needs to be put on. These marks," she said, pointing at the wounds on Sirius' skin, "were created by spiritual realm beings, but they had teeth. I don't believe that they had any venom in them, I think that they were trying to gnaw on his life energy. If you don't want to supply the potions without an examination, I will take him home and treat him myself," she said, with absolute authority. The medical team looked at her in shock, and then, one by one, they started moving.

"Healer Orlaf is on his way. We'll get those potions for him post haste," the trauma Healer said, and Anwen nodded. "Can we get anything for you?" they asked, and Anwen closed her eyes and kneaded the flesh between her eyes.

"Um, just a glass of water for now. I have to keep my wits about me, thank you," she told them and the staff left the room. Anwen turned and looked at me. "Contact Ewan, and ask him if he can come over. I'm sure that we're going to need his help with the magical replenishing again. James, are Harry and Ginny back at home?"

"Yes, I sent them there when you destroyed the chamber," he told her and she nodded at him. A pained look crossed her face.

"Have Lily check their magical levels, and then start replenishing them as well. I used their magic to help me find Sirius, they're most likely at least partially drained." James looked at her with a mix of shock and anger. "I didn't know it was them, not until I looked at my body while I was still on the other side. When I saw them there, I knew that's where the magical burst came from that allowed me to find him. At the time, I just knew that someone was close by, and I could use their magic to strengthen my own. I'm sorry, but I think they'll be fine. Lily will know what to do. Make sure that you get in touch with Ewan, she'll know how," she said, and James nodded at her and left the room. Sirius had settled down now, and he was just looking off into space. Anwen turned herself again, and leaned her head down near his.

"Love, can you look at me?" she asked and Sirius complied. She smiled gently at him, both of her hands moving to his face. "Do you hurt anywhere?"

"My arms and face hurt, I have a headache, and I'm tired," he whispered at her, and she nodded at him.

"I'll make sure that they take care of those things. Healer Orlaf will be here shortly. I'll explain everything, if you want to go to sleep, go ahead. I can get the potions into you without your being awake, and I won't leave your side, love. Go ahead and rest. I love you," she whispered, looking at him in the eyes. His eyes seemed to be searching hers, and when they found what they were looking for, he nodded and began to close his eyes.

"Okay, angel..." he mumbled, as he succumbed to sleep. She turned back to me, leaving a hand on him, gently stroking the side of his arm.

"Anwen, what happened? You were in that trance for nearly 36 hours, we couldn't get near you. Harry and Ginny would talk to us, but you were, almost like asleep or something..." I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"Remus, I'll have to explain it all to the Healer, and I'd prefer to only tell it once, please. Later, if you want, I'll open my mind and let you look for yourself, you won't believe it, trust me. It was hell," she said quietly, and I didn't doubt it. "I want to get his treatment started, find out how my children are, and then we are expanding this bed and I am lying down with my husband to get some sleep. Will you help me arrange a guard while we rest?" The trauma personnel came back in, and Anwen took control of giving Sirius has potions, but first, she scanned them for tampering. She gently lifted his head, and then waved her hand over the phial, and the potion disappeared. She kissed him lightly and then laid him back down. The staff seemed shocked at how she had given him the potions, especially since she didn't use her wand. She drank down the water, and then refilled the glass and drank it down again. They left the room, and I was alone with Anwen.

"I can answer one of your questions, the kids are fine. Lily and Eira took them to the Manor and they think that they are on holiday with their friends. They've been asking for you two, but Lily has them calm and fed and well. I am sure that they will be happy to see you," I told her, and she seemed relieved.

The door to the room opened again, and Healer Orlaf came in, followed quickly by Albus. Something passed between Anwen and Albus, and then she gave him a small nod. She recounted the tale, of how she knew that Sirius was still alive, and what she found on the other side. We were all shocked as she spoke. None of us had ever heard of such a thing. She explained the creatures that she came across, and how they were biting, trying to feed on her, but not being corporeal, she was fine. She explained how she found Sirius, and how she had to coax him back out. Watching her, I could tell that this was painful to recount. She finally explained how she was able to pull him back through the archway, magically, and then why she had to destroy the portal.

Healer Orlaf asked her some specific questions about the spirit beings, as she called them, and the wounds that were on her husband. He took some samples as well as some magical readings, and then excused himself to go do some lab work. He also seemed pleased that Ewan would be returning to assist him in this case. That left Albus, the Blacks and me alone in the room. The tension between Anwen and Albus was palpable.

"What happened to the Death Eaters?" she finally asked. _Of course, she had no idea what happened after she went beyond the veil. _Albus explained the battle with Voldemort, Harry's possession and subsequent throwing off of Voldemort, and the fact that Bellatrix had escaped, as had Voldemort.

"You do realize, he will know about your skills now?" Albus asked her. We had tried for the last 17 years to keep her abilities secret, and that was now erased.

"I know, but I did what I had to. I couldn't lose him," she said, her calm facade crumbing for the first time. "I will deal with whatever comes... I'm sure that there will be consequences for what happened. Has Fudge sworn out an arrest warrant for destroying Ministry property?" she asked, and Albus chuckled.

"No. He's got bigger things on his mind now, and Amelia has been running interference for you," Albus said. "There will be a Council of 13 meeting day after tomorrow, if Sirius isn't able to make it, you will need to fill the Black family seat," he told her and she nodded. "We are going to move to have Fudge removed from office." They talked a while longer, and Albus asked that I stay with her until an Order guard could be arranged.

"Anwen, how did you know?" I had to ask her. _She never hesitated, she never questioned, she just went after him._ The mask she had kept up since she had emerged from the portal completely fell, and she looked at me with tear–filled eyes. "I could feel him Remus, his heart was still beating and he was desperately trying to find me. He was so scared and he was in pain, and I knew he wasn't dead. I had to go after him, I wasn't sure that I could live without him," she told me in hushed tones. She waved her hand over the bed and it expanded, and she got up, walked around the end and climbed in on the far side, resting her head on her husbands chest.

"But, you didn't know if you would make it back out. You didn't even know what you would find there. Weren't you scared?" I wasn't sure if I would have done it, even to save Tonks.

"I was, and I had no idea what I was walking into; but the worst thing that could have happened, was not finding him or being able to save him. I couldn't live with the idea that there was something that I could have done, and that I had chosen not to. I had faith that I would be alright. Remus, I think that this is why I could do these special things—projecting and visualization and astral walking, so that I could save him. I can't explain it, I just knew," she told me, looking at his face as he rested.

"Really? It could have all gone horribly wrong," I told her, and she nodded at me.

"It could have, but, I believed that it wouldn't. Remus, there is something between Sirius and me, more than love, more than marriage, more than words. He's the rest of me...I knew that it would work. I had faith in our binding, and in why we are here," she told me, and it gave me something to think about. _She had faith, faith in something bigger than us, I need to ask her more._ I went to open my mouth, to give her a follow–up question, but it was too late, she had fallen asleep next to Sirius. _I want that. I want what they have, even if its not to that extent. Could I have it? Would I walk through hell for Tonks? _ I sat there, watching them, pondering my answer.

**Lily POV:**

_The last few days have felt like years. I can't believe we haven't even had supper yet. _I rounded the corner, and I found her. Anwen had sent me a frantic patronus a few minutes ago, she needed me, that's all that she said. Molly had been at the Manor, looking in on Ginny. She would be staying with us for a few days, I needed to make sure that we restored her magic to its regular level. As soon as the Patronus arrived, I asked to the elder Weasley woman to watch all of the kids, and took off for hospital. Anwen was on the floor, obviously sobbing. Her small body was shaking she was crying so hard. _Oh Merlin, what's happened now?_

"Anwen..." I said as quietly as I could, but still have her hear me. She lifted her tear stained face and looked at me. "What happened?" She steadied herself.

"He doesn't remember. Not our life together, not our children, he barely remembers me," she got out in gaps and starts. "He doesn't remember that we're married, that we're bound..." she whimpered before she started crying again. The pain she was in was so evident. I sat down on the floor, and held her to me. There wasn't anything to say. I had been in shock when Remus had come over to the Manor, briefly, to tell us what he had learned. Kingsley was left watching over the sleeping pair. Ewan was on his way here, Portkeying to France, and then apparating into London and would be here soon. As soon as Remus told us everything, he and James quickly returned to hospital._ I didn't understand it all, didn't understand how Anwen had done it, but nothing with these two surprised me anymore. The fact that she moved hell to be with him wasn't even surprising. But this, this would be too much. I _ _had no idea how I would feel if James suddenly didn't remember me, but I knew that the pain would be nearly unbearable._

We sat there on the floor of the hospital wing until she was calm enough to move. A room down the hall was empty, and I half carried her in, and sat her down on the bed. "What happened?"

"He woke up, and I was curled up next to him, I was so tired Lily, and I had explained everything to Healer Orlaf and Remus, so I laid down and fell asleep next to him. He woke up, and he looked at me, but it was like he was looking through me. He could tell it was me, but he couldn't figure out why I was in bed with him. He knew Remus, and kept asking about you and James and," she swallowed hard and then spit out "Peter. It was like the last 20 years were gone. He doesn't remember falling in love with me, or marrying me, or having our children," she told me, crying once again. I went and sat down on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her.

"What did Healer Orlaf say? Does he know why this happened?" I asked her. _I'm not sure that anyone would have a reason for this, I mean really, most people don't come back from death because their spouse went and got them. I doubt that anyone has any practice in this area._

"Um, well, they're really not sure. A healer that specializes in disorders of the brain came in, and called it something, uh, hysterical amnesia. He knows who he is, he just can't access a certain time period of his memory," she told me, putting her hand to her face. "Lily, to get him to follow me out, I kept telling him stories about our life and love and our children. Somehow all of the memories have mingled together, what happened to him through the veil and our life together. He shut them all because of the pain. I did this to him," she said, her guilt flowing out like a tidal wave.

"You did no such thing. Anwen, you saved him, and if the memories are still there, then there must be a way. If we can't find it with Wizarding medicine, then we'll look into Muggle medicine," I told her firmly. _She wasn't going to take the blame for this, not if I could help it._

"They hope that it will eventually come back, but I can't push him. He'll remember what he can, when he can. How are the kids going to react when their father doesn't know who they are? The twins are going to be one in 3 days," she said, I didn't have an answer. We sat there for a while, not speaking. Anwen didn't need chit-chat, she needed time to gather her thoughts.

"Anwen, let's just take things one at a time. First, let's get you cleaned up," I said. She had stopped crying, so I waved my wand over her, helping her face look less puffy and taking the redness from her eyes. "Um, your clothes are a mess," I told her, realizing that she hadn't changed them now in days. "Why don't you leave for a little while? James and Remus can stay with him, and you can stand under a hot shower. Soap and water will help make everything look better." Sshe nodded at me, still looking completely defeated.

"Let me just tell them that we're leaving," she said quietly, and then we left the room. We got to the door of Sirius' room, and there was boisterous laughter emanating from the room. I could tell that the sound went right through her. She stopped the tears that were threatening again, and then pushed the door open, placing a smile on her face as she went. "Hey Anwen, Lily, what are you doing here?" James said as I walked in behind Anwen. I went over to him and tried to explain without saying anything. He seemed to understand.

Anwen stood at the foot of the bed, looking at Sirius with such desperate longing in her eyes, but as soon as he looked at her, it was gone. "I'm going to leave for a little while, if it's okay with you. I'd like to shower and see the kids," she said, rubbing her arms, like she was suddenly chilled.

"It's fine," Sirius responded, clearly not completely sure how he should react to her either. The tension in the room was so thick, you could nearly taste it. "Can I talk with Anwen, alone, for a minute?" We all nodded and got up to leave the room.

"I'll wait and go back to the Manor with you when you're done," I told her, and she shook her head slightly at me.

**Sirius POV:**

_I looked at her, and with what the guys had just told me about our relationship, I wished that I felt some of what they described, but I didn't. I knew that I felt affection for her...there was something else too. When she walked in the room, for a minute, I could feel an overwhelming feeling of longing, and then it was gone. My heartbeat seemed, different, too._

"How are you feeling?" she asked me. _Her eyes have such devotion in them. I must be hurting her now._

"Okay. The pain is less, and they seem to be making some of these marks go away. I asked what caused them, and the Healer told me I really didn't want to know," I told her. She nodded her head at me.

"He's right," she said, and an uncomfortable silence fell over us again.

"Anwen, come here," I said, patting the bed next to me. I watched as she searched around the room, looking for something, but I had no idea what. She swallowed hard and slowly walked over to me and sat down gingerly. She was turned so that she was facing me, but I could tell that her eyes were looking over my shoulder, at the wall behind me. _She looks like she's going to break into a million pieces here. _ "James and Remus told me that we're married, although the wedding ring, and the tattoo with your name over my heart kind of gave that away," I said, trying to make a joke. She gave me a slight smile, and it felt good. I reached over and took her hand. It felt like a shock of electricity went through me when I touched her.

"We are, and we were happy. I didn't say anything, because they said that you needed to remember on your own..." she started but I just smiled at her. She stopped talking and just looked at me.

"I don't think the fact that we're married and have children is the kind of thing that they meant. You look like you're going to burst apart, come here," I told her, opening my arms to her, she collapsed into them, shaking. _She feels right in my arms, like she was meant to be there. _"Angel, stop crying, please. I'm sure that I'll remember, my brain just needs to adjust, at least that's what I think they said to me," I told her, stroking her back. _I'm having trouble remembering everything that they said to me._ I felt one of her hands move around and twine into my hair, and she finally began to relax. We just sat there, me holding her. _She had to have been strong, to bring me back here, and yet, right now she feels like something fragile. _My body seemed to have a memory of holding her like this, because it didn't feel off or uncomfortable. She finally pushed herself back into a sitting position, and my hand instinctively wanted to wipe the tears from her face. As my thumb moved across her cheek, I felt her lean into my hand.

"I know it will come back. I can't believe that if you put up with me this long, that I don't want to remember it," I mused aloud. Her lips curled in a beautiful fashion as a response, and I again felt something inside of me, I just didn't know what it was. "Be patient with me, and answer my questions as they come," I asked her and I finally saw a genuine smile pass her face.

"Sirius, patience and being married to you go hand in hand," she said dryly, and I remembered how much I always liked her sense of humor. _My word, she is beautiful. The only pictures of her I can find in my mind are of when she was so young, never could I have imagined that she would be this...stunning. Those eyes, you can get lost in them..._

"Sirius, are you okay?" she asked me, rousing me from my mental wandering. Her face was wrinkled in concern.

"Oh, yeah. Did you know that you're beautiful?" I asked her, before I even realized that I was speaking. She smiled and looked away shyly.

"You tend to tell me that often," she said embarrassed.

"Well, see, my mind isn't completely gone, I knew that much about us." She nodded a little, still looking away. The room was still thick with tension, but it seemed to have abated some. I was starting to feel tired, and the pain in my arm where the Murtlap treatment had been applied was beginning to sting, and Anwen seemed to need sleep more than I, but I didn't want to let her go, not just yet. There was something in her that made me need her to be near me. I took her hand again, and stared into those soft green eyes, and it felt like there was a memory breaking through, but it just wasn't there yet. She looked back at me, and I could feel her soft fingers tracing along the side of my face. _She must do that a lot, it feels familiar, I want to kiss her, but am I allowed to? I mean, we're married, but, things are sort of strange here. I don't remember marrying her._

"Anwen, can I kiss you?" She broke into a most glorious sounding giggles and smiled fully at me.

"You don't have to ask, you never did, even when we were courting," she told me, clearly thinking this was all somehow funny. I leaned in toward her, and she closed the rest of the distance. When her lips met mine, it was like a dam broke in my mind. Fear, absolute terror broke through me. _Something was biting at me, trying to tear the flesh off of me. I ran and I hid, and then she was there. Anwen was the ..._ I stopped kissing her and looked at her.

"You're the angel," I blurted out. She looked at me surprised and confused. _She doesn't know what I'm saying. _"An angel came and got me and brought me back to this world. You were the angel. You were all glowy and gentle, and when you spoke to me, it sounded like music. You kissed me when I was safe," I told her. I wasn't sure if she would understand, but I didn't have more information to tell her.

"It was me, when you're ready, I'll explain..." she said, trailing off, her eyes searching me again, _I just wish I knew what they were looking for. _I just sat there, looking at her.

"You must love me." She nodded and tears slipped from her eyes.

"With all of my heart," she said quietly, her hand once again on my face. I closed my eyes, and let her hand cradle my face. It felt, perfect.

"Will you tell me more?" She opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her. "No, later, go and clean up and rest, and then come back. I want to remember. I need to know how I ended up with such an angel." She started crying again, but she was smiling this time. It was heaven when she brought her lips to mine.


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, this is a long chapter, so enjoy the angst in it. The hit count on this story has been amazing, so I know that people are reading. How about leaving me a line and letting me know what you think? The song for this chapter is : "Just for You" by Midge Ure. As always, I don't own Harry Potter, but all original characters are mine. No copyright infringement is intended. Mutt**

**Chapter 35:**

**The Path Back**

**James POV:**

"Anwen, he'll be fine," I told her, but she was once again looking back across the room at her husband in the hospital bed. Sirius had a happy, if not empty look on his face. He still wasn't remembering much about his wife, and nothing about his children. He'd regained some memories from our school years.

"I know, Remus and Tonks are going to stay, but I hate to leave him here. What if he remembers something while I'm gone, and he needs more information. Or what if the Healer comes in or Ewan has a breakthrough, or..."

"Anwen, we're only going to be a few hours. He'll be fine in that time. If something earth shattering happens, Remus will contact us." She nodded at me. Anwen was never a large person, in fact, petite was being generous with her – even when she was pregnant with the twins; but standing there, in the Council of 13's blue robes, with the over–sized medallion on her, she looked positively tiny. Lily and Molly had worked for nearly an hour to get Sirius' robes small enough to fit her, and they still looked too big. The weight of the last week seemed to have shrunk her as well. I wrapped a protective arm around her, she felt like she was all skin and bones. _ I wonder if she's eating anything? _ We needed to be leaving, and I figured I would have to tear her away. I steered her over to the bed.

"We're going to be off, but we'll be back as soon as the meeting is done," I told the other two Marauders, and Remus nodded at me. _I don't envy him the task he has this morning. Sirius keeps asking about Peter, Remus is going to tell him about what a rat he turned out to be._

"Prongs, take care of my girl there," Sirius said quietly, and I heard Anwen's breath catch. We knew that he still wasn't remembering their marriage or the years since, but he had easily accepted that they were very much in love. It didn't take a trained Legilimens to know that Anwen was hurting inside because Sirius had no idea just how deep their love really was, and what they had gone through for each other. She took a few steps forward and leaned down next to him, holding the damned medallion to her chest so it wouldn't hit him in the face with one hand, and running the fingers of the other down his face.

"Are you sure that you'll be all right while I'm gone?" she asked, sounding as if she hoped that he would beg her to stay.

"I'll be fine. Moony promised to fill me in about Peter, and there are a couple of other things from school that I'm starting to remember. Anyway, can't have the family Council seat be forfeited, can we? Go on, I'll be looking forward to your smile when you get back," he told her, and Anwen instinctively smiled at her husband. He reached up and kissed her lightly and then whispered, "Be safe my angel." Anwen nodded and then turned to me and I could see that her eyes were once again cloudy with tears. She headed straight for the door, and I followed her out. Once she was clear of the door, she leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. I put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at me, heartbreak written all over her face.

"His feelings are pleasant enough toward me, but I had grown used to him looking at me, and being filled with his passion and desire for me, and now..." she wiped the tears off her face, "...now there is just something congenial. They want to discharge him tomorrow, his body is nearly healed, but," she stopped again, and ran her fingers through her hair. I then watched her take a deep breath and I swore that I could see her emotions being pushed down to her feet. "Well, we can face that mountain when we get back, right now, we have a meeting to be at," she told me, wiping the tears from her face and attempting a smile. It was the saddest smile that I think I had ever seen. Anwen had never looked more beaten down than she did right now, even in her darkest days after Greece; this was much worse. I pulled her to me and held her tight.

"Anwen, you're not going to do this alone. The whole family will be there to help," I told her, and she nodded at me and then with a tip of her head, let me know that we needed to be off for the Ministry. Being with the chief Warlock's personal counsel means that you don't have to stand in line when you arrive at the Ministry, and we were quickly in her office. Amelia and Kingsley were waiting there for Anwen to arrive.

"How are you doing?" her former partner asked her and she looked up at him and just shrugged.

"Better than that night in the mud with you in Liverpool, that's for sure," she said, he threw his head back laughing.

"You never cease to amaze me," he smiled at her. Amelia came over and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tight. Anwen seemed to cling to her.

"Are we still on for Wednesday night?" Amelia asked.

"Sirius is supposed to come home tomorrow, but I think that we are going to stay at the Potters'. He doesn't remember living at Grimmauld with me, so all of his memories of the place are from his childhood, which wasn't great. He actually has stronger and better memories of the Manor, and I'm going to need help. Molly has already agreed to let Harry stay there for a while, so he doesn't have to live in a house full of babies and toddlers. Remus and Tonks have said that they will move in to Grimmauld for the summer, keep an eye on the place. Back to semi-communal living for the Marauders and their wives," she quipped, and I thought it was funny. I chuckled, but Amelia and King both looked at her shocked.

"Did Remus finally get off his arse and ask her?" King said, suddenly very happy.

"No," she sighed "not that I'm aware of, and I am sure that I would be aware. Slip of the tongue. After all these years, you'd think he'd get the picture, but...anyway, I hope that once Sirius gets more memories back, we'll be able to go home," she finished.

"Well anything you need, anything at all, just let me know. The library at the Manor is almost as good as this one here, so don't even think about coming in, unless you need to get away," Amelia told her, and she nodded at her. "I took care of the issue in the Department of Mysteries as well. They're enthused about the memories that you brought back with you. So much so that all they want is reparations for the clean up and repair. Remus took care of the financial papers. I guess he's on your accounts with Sirius?"

"He's been on them for years, since Sirius was in exile. We never bothered taking him off. I'll thank him for that later, and thank you for handling it," Anwen said with gratitude in her voice.

"That is what friends are for. The stupid charges against Sirius have been dropped as well, so you don't have to worry about Aurors coming to haul him off to Azkaban," Amelia said, and I watched as Anwen mouthed 'thank you'. "Well, we need to be off now, this meeting should be interesting, no Lucius Malfoy," she said smiling and Anwen returned an even brighter one. _I was quite certain that Anwen was sleeping better with Malfoy and the Lestrange brothers in Azkaban._

"Nott is gone too, and I would be shocked if Crabbe and Goyle show – they're both wanted for attempted murder, along with Bellatrix Lestrange for what happened to," King said, and then stopped short. "For what happened last week," he added quickly. He kissed Amelia goodbye, and we headed into the chamber. Albus was already there, and as we entered he came over to greet us.

"How is he this morning?" he asked, and Anwen smiled at him, albeit gingerly.

"He's remembered a few more things, Harry being the primary one. Remembers the day he was born," Anwen said happily, and then added in a near whisper, "and making me cry that day. Also remembers giving him his first broom and taking him riding. It's a good thing. Depending on how his morning goes with Remus, I'll take him some pictures of our wedding and our kids later," Anwen told him.

"What are they talking about this morning?"

"Peter," Anwen and I responded in unison. Albus nodded in understanding.

"I've contacted Amos Diggory, and members of the Sprout, Scamander and Yaxley families, should representatives from all current families not arrive for our meeting this morning," he said with a knowing smile. Even Anwen couldn't help but smile at the idea. "King will wait with them in the outer office, until which time we discover if they are needed."

"Isn't Amelia still the chief Warlock?" she asked, almost teasing him.

"That is one position that I have every intention of giving up first thing today. Albus is welcome to have it back," Amelia said, and we all smiled at it.

More members filed in, and they all wanted to find out how Sirius was faring. I stood close to Anwen, and with Amelia we ran as much interference as we could. When Arthur arrived, he took up the guard as well, and with the exception of Augusta Longbottom, she was left alone. _No one is willing to tell Mrs. Longbottom no._ At 10:00 exactly, Albus shut the door and began the meeting. We ended up seating all four new members that day. The Council had most definitely taken a different tone and attitude.

**Anwen POV:**

"You know, now that she's going to be the Minister of Magic, you might need to marry her," I teased Kingsley as he poured the champagne. We were in Amelia's office, celebrating the fact that the Council had just decided that it would be her name that would be put forth for the new Minister at the Wizengamot meeting a week from Wednesday. There was no doubt in any of our minds that she would indeed be affirmed, but we had to keep it quiet until then.

"I keep telling you that I would marry her tonight, if she would have me," he replied as he pour five glasses of the sparkling French Muggle wine.

"Fine, we'll set a date, and you're all hearing me right now, May 18, 1997. I will marry you King, and I will be happy to be your wife," Amelia said, and we were all surprised and shocked. _King has been wanting to marry her since before Sirius and I were married. A little light went off in my mind, and I knew now why she had been waiting, and why she would be willing to marry him on that date next year._

"Well then, I believe that we have even more to toast. To our soon to be new Minister of Magic and her soon to be husband, may your lives be filled with joy and happiness," Albus said and we all toasted the pair. I looked over at James and he nodded at me.

"I hate to toast and run, but I very much would like to get back to Sirius. We will see you on Wednesday night, around six to celebrate the twins' birthday. Please, keep it low key King," I said, knowing that for Lilyan's first birthday, he actually rented a unicorn for her to take a ride on, and then gave her a huge stuffed one for her room.

"When have I ever done things in a small way, Anwen?"

"Swell, see you all then, and Meil, congratulations," I told her, going over and hugging her. I didn't use her nickname much when we were at work, but right now, we were among close friends.

"Anwen, you do realize that you'll be going with me right?" she told me as she hugged me back.

"Going with you where?" I asked her, pulling away to look at her. I was confused.

"Anwen, the Minister needs advisors. I'll accommodate your schedule in any way, make whatever changes you need, but you will be my advisor. I will not take no for an answer. There aren't too many people that I trust, and you are one of the few," she told me. I stood there with my mouth open. "We'll talk when Sirius is better, but know that I will not forget how important you are to me. Now, James, please take her back to her husband, and I will see you all on Wednesday."

James helped me from the office, I wasn't feeling much of anything right now, except confusion. Within minutes we were back at St. Mungo's and I was so happy when Sirius smiled as I came into the room. He was dressed and sitting up, and the color had truly returned to his face. He opened his arms out to me and I walked to him and nearly fell into his embrace. _He feels pleased to see me, but, there's no passion there. He doesn't long for me the way I do for him. He has no idea how much I am dying inside without him. I feel hollow without him pouring his feelings into me. I'm working so hard to keep mine from overwhelming him._ I could feel his strong arms holding me, and I felt like telling everyone else to go away and just let him hold me for a while, but I couldn't because he wouldn't understand just how I was feeling right now. When his lips found my temple and rested there, I felt like I was being engulfed in flames.

"How was the meeting?" he asked, and I took it as a sign that I needed to pull away. I tried to calm myself enough to speak, and thankfully James chose to answer instead.

"It was good, the Council took on four new members today, and they are making an inspired recommendation for the new Minister. A warrant is being sworn out for Madame Umbridge and her illegal use of the Blood Quill. Harry can decide if he wants to bring further charges against her. Fudge refuses to tell us where she is. Albus is the chief again, and by the time the Council meets the next time, you will be able to go."

I found my voice, finally, when he was done. "I hate these robes, they're scratchy. Now I know why you don't want to wear them much," I told him, gently removing them and placing them on the bed. I had worn a simple sweater and flowing floral skirt under the robes, and I felt much more comfortable now. I was very pleasantly surprised when Sirius pulled me down to sit in his lap. I had to stop and concentrate on not kissing him passionately when his arm snaked around my waist and he held me to him. I laid my head on his shoulder and tried to steady myself, but it was so very hard.

We talked with everyone for a while, and then slowly our friends began excusing themselves. Tonks had to get to work, Remus had to check in on a child who had recently been attacked and infected and James wanted to get home for lunch. They all promised to be back later, and then, Sirius and I were alone.

"How was your morning?" I asked him.

"It was a lot to take in. Hard to believe that one of our friends could turn on us that way. He betrayed James, Lily and Harry and then he tried to kill you and ..." He paused and I wanted to help him, but he started talking again, "...don't tell me...Lilyan. It's upsetting. I'm sorry that happened," he told me. I twisted myself slightly so that I could look at him. His other hand found its way to my knee. I don't know if he meant to do it, or if it was by instinct, but his thumb began to rub small circles in the soft flesh behind my knee. I felt like I might explode from the contact.

"Don't do that," I admonished him for his attempt to take responsibility for Peter's actions. "It wasn't your fault that Peter came after us, it was because he's crazy and he follows Voldemort. You have no control over that," I told him and he registered some ambivalence. I leaned my head down on his chest, and for a moment it felt like nothing was changed or gone between Sirius and me. "Please, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known when you were eleven what Peter would become. Let it go, love."

"For you," he said, lifting my chin so that I could look at him, "I will try."

We talked for a while longer, lunch came and we sat at the small table in his room and ate together. It felt like a date, he kept peppering me with questions about our lives, things that he started remembering, or things that people had said to him. He was remembering things from our school years, and the few years that followed. I found it hard to tell him about events without giving too much away, but I found if I just answered the questions he had, it seemed to work out fine. We talked and laughed and for the first time, things were easy and comfortable between us.

**Sirius POV:**

"Don't worry, I'm right here, and you'll be fine. Our friends are in there, and the kids are easily distracted," she told me, but I was terrified of entering the Potter home. I had just been released from the hospital, and Anwen had apparated me here. I wasn't supposed to do much magic, until we could figure out what spells I actually remembered how to do.

I watched as she opened the door and we walked in. There was a sign hanging from the second floor landing that read "WELCOME HOME (sort of ) DADDY" and there were balloons and streamers up. There were scribbles and squiggles all over the sign.

"I think that Ginny had the little kids help decorate the sign for you, Anwen smiled as she spoke. _ I love the look on her face when she talks about the children. When I remembered Harry's birth, I also remembered that I had somehow made her sad that day. Remus had told me that I had said I didn't want to have kids, and it broke her heart. Why would I have done such a thing to her?_ I then heard a small rumble of footsteps, and soon the entryway to the house was filled with little kids. I figured the ones that called me daddy were mine, and the ones that called me Uncle Sirius were James' kids. There were teenagers there too. I only recognized Harry, but I figured that all of the red-heads were Weasley kids. There was a brown haired girl that I didn't know at all. Our friends came in too. Anwen held my hand, but two of the kids were clinging to my legs. It was a little overwhelming.

"All right, Daddy is still a little weak, why don't we let him sit down, and then you can all see your father and me, come on, let's go in the other room, or would you rather go outside? You've been cooped up inside for a while now," she said gently, and I was again struck at what a treasure she was.

"Outside would be nice, there's a nice breeze today," I told them, and we started a small parade out. The two teen–aged girls picked up a little blond girl and a nearly completely bald boy, and I figured that they were our twins. Anwen held me back with a gentle tug of her arm.

"If it gets to be too much, just tell me. All of your things have been moved into "our" room here, and you can be alone, or we can be alone if that's what you need. Ginny and Hermione know that they are in charge of our children while they're here," she explained. I nodded at her and we made our way out through the kitchen to the patio area. This house seemed completely familiar, if just slightly off. _Of course, they would have changed things a little. My memories are nearly 20 years old. I wonder if we are sleeping in my room? Mrs. Potter insisted that I decorate it and call it such when I lived here._

When we got outside, there was a chaise open, and I really wanted to sit down and put my feet up. I refused to let go of Anwen however, and she ended up sitting next to me, squeezed into the long chair. I had discovered that I felt better when I was in physical contact with her. It was something that I planned on talking with her about. The afternoon was pleasant, one by one our children came up, and I watched how Anwen would interact with them. _It's still strange to call her my wife, I only just began remembering courting her, but mostly, I remember the little girl who was my confidant in school. She's not a little girl anymore though._ _Anwen has such nurturing and peaceful manner with our children._ _She's a great Mum. _ Little Jamie came up and curled up on her mother's lap and fell asleep. I could hear Anwen humming to her as she dozed. Ginny came by and picked her up, saying she would take her and put her down for her nap. The other girl, whose name I still couldn't remember, had John, who was near sleep as well. Harry came over and sat at the foot of the chaise.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine, Harry. The memories are coming back every day, and I'm confident that I'll remember it all," I told him. The potions master, _What's his name again? Damn I hate this, _thought that he might have had a breakthrough and would be talking with me about it later. He was apparently staying here as well.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened," he said, clearly trying to apologize. I really didn't know what he was talking about. "I ended up with this vision of you being tortured, and we tried to contact you, but no one answered the floo at Grimmauld, and I couldn't figure out how else to get hold of anyone...if we hadn't gone to the Ministry, you wouldn't have had to come and rescue us..." he was rambling on, and I could feel my brow furrowing, but none of it made any sense to me.

"Harry, your godfather doesn't remember anything from that night, but he knows you would have never put him or any of us in danger on purpose," Anwen said, trying to comfort him. "You did nothing wrong, and we'll find a way to make sure you never have problems getting in touch with us again. Tonight I want to re-start your lessons. I am going to finish teaching you, and I need to see everything that happened that night. Albus told me his version, I just need to see what happened when..." she stopped when she saw the horror cross Harry's face. "Harry, there is nothing for you to be upset about," she reprimanded him. "You threw him out, never forget that. There are grown adults who can't do that. Tonight, after I get my kids down, we'll work, all right?" She reached down and put a hand on his leg, and he smiled at her. "I am so very proud of you," she told him, and his entire demeanor seemed to relax. He got up to go with his friends and I watched her study him as we walked away. _Did my wife take are of everyone this way? I've seen her care for all of the kids, half our friends and me now. Who takes care of her? _She leaned back and I lifted my arm so that she could lean against me. _Maybe I can take care of her? I can see why I would have fallen for her._ She rested her head against my chest and her arm wrapped around me, and something overwhelming hit me. I looked down at her face, and she looked up at me and I knew it. I was indeed deeply in love with her, maybe not the her that I had shared the last twenty years of my life with, but the woman that had found me and saved me. _Did I feel this way before? How did I live with feeling like this all of the time, it's shocking, and wonderful._ I smiled at her, and she blushed and turned her eyes away.

"What lessons are you giving him?" I asked her quietly as Harry went to go to the lawn with the rest of the kids.

"I'm teaching him Occlumency. Albus had the brilliant idea that Severus could complete his training, and I assume that I'll be starting over from scratch with the mess that he created while doing that," she told me.

"You can do Occlumency and Legilimency too? And what does Snivelus have to do with all of it? " _Why in the world would any of us have anything to do with that git?_

"Don't think on Snape now, please," she said quietly, and then she smiled "Sirius, love, you couldn't even begin to imagine the magics that I can do," she told me with a rather mischievous curl of her lips. "I'll show you in time, but yes, I can do both. You were my favorite test subject when I was learning. I actually think that might be part of the reason that you're having problems now, your mind was pretty disorganized to begin with, sorting through memories now, with things in such disarray, well, it would be harder," she said quietly.

"Could you teach me to straighten them up?" I asked her. I hadn't ever learned any of these things, as far as I knew.

"I could, but I won't," she told me, and I felt disappointed. "I would be too tempted to force you to remember things that I think are important to me, rather than letting you find them on your own. However, there are people around you that could work with you. Remus, Kingsley and Mad–Eye would all be willing to help you. Albus could too, but I don't recommend that," she said flatly, and I knew that there was something else going on there, but I didn't think I should ask her. Instead I just stroked her shoulder, and my whole body seemed to hum with excitement at it.

"I'll do that," I told her, and closed my eyes to relish the way all of me seemed to react to her. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the patio, and then had dinner. After dinner, Anwen and Harry excused themselves and went to work in the library. Lily had told her that she would take care of the children, so that Anwen could deal with Harry. She emerged several hours later, looking drained and upset. We had moved into the Sitting Room, and only those of us living here, 'the family' as we were apparently referred to, were here. James stood to speak to her.

"What did you see?"

"It was a mess, it's going to take him weeks to re-file everything and clean it up. I went through the portal again, that space hasn't changed, but the door was nearly blown off the hinges. I repaired it, and strengthened it. I don't think that Voldemort will try and use it though. I watched Harry's memory of his possession, and Voldemort can't stand being in Harry's mind. It's fully painful for him and he'll avoid it at all cost. It does however give me a very interesting idea of how we are going to get rid of that thing," she said with a glint in her eyes. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, but it sounded important. _I still don't understand this relationship between Harry and Voldemort though._

James sat down, and Anwen came and sat next to me. I instantly felt better, and I had a memory of sitting in this room, on what looked like Christmas, and something to do with a ring. It was like a floodgate had opened, and I could see that day, especially the smile on her face.

"Did I propose to you in this room?" I asked her, and she shook her head no. "I remember giving you a ring here." She thought for a moment, and then she smiled.

"You didn't propose here, but you did give me a ring. It was the first Christmas that we were dating, and it's this one here," she said, showing me a ring that was on her right hand. "You're sure you're remembering it?"

"I am, and you gave me..." I paused, looking over the memory that I had just unearthed, "...an electric guitar? I can play guitar?" I asked her and she looked like she was nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Yes, I gave you the guitar that year, and well, you do play, but not a whole lot lately, the kids don't like the sound much," she said, with her giant smile nearly engulfing her face. She threw her arms around me, and kissed me. She surprised me a little, but it felt so good. I was about to begin really kissing her back, when she stopped and pulled away from me. "Sorry about that, got carried away."

"Really, it's okay with me," I told her, smiling. _You can kiss me any time you'd like. I like the way it felt. _I must have said something the rest found funny, because everyone was laughing, and Anwen was blushing.

"Even without his memory, Padfoot is still as enthusiastic as ever," James said, and they all laughed harder and I looked at Anwen. She was glaring at him.

"That's not fair, James," she said angrily. "We can talk about it later," she told me when she turned to look at me. "but I'm happy that you remembered something about us. It's your first memory of our being together," she said quietly. The room turned quiet, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Within a few minutes, the room was empty, everyone having begged off for their own activities. When we were alone, I pulled her closer to me.

"I really did like it when you kissed me," I told her, and she bit her lip and blushed again.

"I'm not really surprised. Um," she took a deep breath, "we've been known to be rather enthusiastic in our sex life. They've all caught us at one time or another in compromising positions. Glad to know that you liked kissing me though." I looked at her. _Did she really think that I wouldn't want to kiss her?_

"Anwen, do you somehow think that you're not desirable to me?"

"I don't know what to think. You don't remember being married to me, you don't know anything about what we went through or about our marriage," she stopped and took a deep breath. "Why don't I show you the room upstairs, I'm sure that you're tired. I need to check on the kids as well," she said standing up. I grabbed her hand and she looked at me, but said nothing more. I stood up, pulled her to me, and then taut against me. I wrapped one arm around her waist, and put the other on her soft cheek and pulled her to me, and kissed her passionately. She tasted like strawberries, and my head was actually spinning from the way she kissed me back. Another memory came to me, a glorious day with her, in a room I didn't recognize. We were in bed and her eyes were filled with wonder, and the room smelled like something that I couldn't place. The kiss only broke when we needed to breathe.

"Even if I can't remember the rest, I will want to do that forever," I told her, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. Relief washed down her body, and I could feel the muscles in her arms and her back lose their tension as she accepted this idea. We went upstairs, and she opened two different doors. One was for a room that was done in pinks and purples. I could see Lilyan in the bed and Jamie in a crib across the room. They were both soundly asleep, and Anwen waved her hand and I heard a ping and then the room was silent and she closed the door.

"It's a warning charm, should either of them awake, it will let me know in the middle of the night," she told me quietly, and we walked down the hall to the other room that I used to sleep in when I was here while at Hogwarts. _Guess we don't sleep in here._ The room looked much the same as it had when I was here, except that there was a crib in here now. Ethan was sleeping in the bed, under a dark blue comforter that looked like the same one Mrs. Potter had picked out with me when I was 15. John was on his stomach, with his bottom up in the air as he slept in the crib. I pointed at him and Anwen nodded.

"He always flips himself around like that, slept with his butt up in the air since he was six months old and figured out how to roll over," she told me with a lilt in her voice that made my heart flutter. She raised her hand again, and a different sounding chime went off, and she closed the door.

"You do wandless magic too?" I asked, putting the pieces together. She nodded at me. I wish I could remember more about her. We walked down the hall, and she came to the double door. _This is Mr and Mrs Potter's room._ She opened the door, and held it open for me. I walked in, and she stood at the door. I turned around and looked at her. "Don't you plan on sleeping?"

"I wasn't sure if you would want me here or not," she said quietly.

"I would assume that last week we shared a bed, we should do so now as well," I told her, taking her by the hand and bringing her into the room and closing the door. "I had another memory of you. We were someplace that I didn't recognize, but it was warm and the room was light and fragrant. You were looking up at me, and we were in bed, and you looked surprised and delighted and amazed all at once. It was a strong memory, I could even taste the air. It reminded me of salt and olives." Recognition crossed her face.

"Greece," she said quietly.

"That's all you're going to say? Greece?" I asked her. Clearly there was something else there.

"We owned a home in Greece for a while, and I think that you might be remembering the first time we," she stopped and looked away, "the first time we were together," and she blushed again. Her eyes looked far away, but happy, and then pain flashed across her and then nothing. _She's trying to hide something from me, something related to Greece._ "It's nice that you're remembering me."

"Anwen, would it help if I told you that I know that I love you?" She looked up into my eyes, surprised but relieved. "I figured it out this afternoon. I can't explain how I know, but when you're next to me, holding me, I feel better and safer. I don't know about our past, but I know that I love you, now."

"Oh my darling, I love you too," she said, flinging herself into my arms.

**Anwen POV:**

The twins' birthday party dinner had gone well, and we were in the process of cleaning up from the meal. We would still have cake and presents before bedtime tonight. It was really only a a party with our family and the closest of our friends. War was not a time for any of us to be out and about, celebrating... Voldemort had made his first strike, brought down a the Brockdale bridge this morning. We had all tried to put it out of our minds, but innocent Muggles had lost their lives. Eira and Charlie had left earlier, rather quickly, without even saying goodbye, which surprised me, but I remembered what it was like to be young and newly in love. I couldn't blame them for running off. I stopped for a moment, and just stood still. I was alone for a change, I didn't have to act anymore. I just wanted to stop and breathe. I was shocked when the doorbell to the Manor rang. I was fairly sure that everyone that knew how to get into the wards was already here.

"Winnie, can you get the door?" I heard Lily call and went to answer it. I pulled the door open, and there stood my sister and her fiancée with my Ma and Da.

"Ma, Da what are you doing here?" I asked them, hugging my father and then my mother. My Ma didn't want to let go of me.

"Did yo actually think that we'd miss those pretty babies first birthday? And then with what happened to Sirius? Darlin, I'm still your Mum," she told me and I smiled at her and then began crying. I couldn't control the tears, they were pouring out of me. I had been strong for nearly everyone else, but this was my mother, and I didn't have to be strong with her. I felt my father grab hold of me and lift me up. My whole body was shaking with the onset of the tears.

"Why don't you take her into the library? I'll make sure that you're left alone for a while. I've kept plates warm for you, and then we'll do the cake," Eira told them. My father took me in, and set me down on the love seat, and my Ma sat next to me holding me. I didn't have to say anything, I didn't even have to explain the last week to them. For the first time, I was simply able to be. Someone was going to take care of me.

The next week passed quickly. My parents were staying out at the farm with Eira, but spent their days here, playing with their much missed grandchildren. They announced that they would be spending the summer with us, as Liddy and Stephen had taken over caring for the Bed and Breakfast while they were on holiday from the school they taught at.

James had been working with Sirius on his spell work, and we realized that there was very little of his magic that he'd forgotten, he had completely lost all of his wandless skills however. _He'd worked so hard for them, now he needs to start over._ He'd gained back many of his memories as well, they usually happened in flashes, like a light bulb would simply start working again, and he'd remember something. When it happened, I usually found myself having to stop whatever I was doing to fill in the missing pieces. Sirius could at least remember something about each of our children now, and he had regained quite a few memories of our life together. There were however, some rather large and important gaps. At his follow up visit to see Healer Orlaf a few days ago, he reminded us that some of these things might never come back, the night of the Battle in the Department of Mysteries and the events that followed being the chief among them. Sirius was also given a clean bill of health, which meant that should we choose too, we were allowed to be intimate with one another. I still wasn't sure when that might happen, in many ways, we were still discovering each other again. Sirius had turned into a gentleman, often asking me if he could simply hold my hand or kiss me. I missed the man who would come into a room and carry me off to the bedroom without saying as much as hello. He still didn't fully understand about our binding either, and I knew that the first time we were together, he would be surprised by the strength of the emotions involved.

Tuesday, we were on the patio at the Manor, when Tonks came through the door from the kitchen. I knew that she was on duty today, we had talked about it earlier that morning. I had teased her that she wouldn't be able to use up all of the hot water tomorrow, since half of us needed to get up and be there for the Wizengamot meeting. Tomorrow was the day that Amelia would be nominated, and barring a catastrophe, be made Minster. It quickly became obvious that this wasn't a social call and that the young Auror had been crying. I stood up at her entering, and looked at her.

"Who?" She tilted her head, and then opened her mouth.

"Emmeline Vance," she whispered. Emme was assigned to Amelia's protection, until she was made Minister. _ Oh Lord, please no._ I could feel the horror gripping me, and Sirius had come over to stand next to me. James and Remus were also standing now, Remus going to be by Tonks' side.

"Tell me Meil is alright," I begged. She said nothing, and my legs gave out on me. I don't know what happened next, but I knew that mine wasn't the only cry to be heard. Sirius lifted me up and sat us down on a chair and I sobbed into him.

When I had gathered myself together, I went to check on Kingsley. He was devastated by her death. I contacted the Order and Mad–Eye and Albus came and retrieved him, and took him to headquarters, where the others could keep him from completely letting himself go. There was always someone in the house now, and Molly and Arthur had promised to feed and take care of him tonight. I flooed back to the Manor, and I was greeted by the family, and a bottle of firewhiskey. The six of us each took a glass, and toasted the memory of a good woman and friend.

"You know why she wouldn't marry King? Why she set the date for May 18 of next year?" I asked them, and they all shook their heads at me. "She didn't want the family to lose their seat on the Council. She had me look into it last year, and if you marry, you lose the seat to the next family member in line. Since it was only Susan, she had to wait until she was of age. Susan turns 17 on May 17th. The funny thing is, now that she's dead, a guardian can be named to act on Susan's behalf, until she comes of age. I couldn't do anything for her while she was alive, but I can now that she's gone," I told them, laughing at the irony. No one else found it funny. I was drunk but I didn't care.

Not long after, we all decided to turn in. Harry had gone to stay at the Burrow for a few weeks, as had Hermione. Molly and Lily had spoken with her parents, and they were more than happy to have her spend the summer with all of us, once again. _You should really talk with her about that. I don't have the strength to take on someone else's problems._ The other two couples had again gone off, arms wrapped around each other, to do what I longed to be doing right now. Sirius and I looked at each other, and he took my hand.

"You're probably tired, why don't we turn in too?" He stood and I followed. _That was it, that was all that I was going to get? _ I was frustrated now.

"They're not going to sleep, Sirius!" I yelled. "They're going to find solace in the arms of their lovers. They're going to remember that they're alive by sharing the most intimate act they can. I don't understand why you're being such a gentleman here, where the hell is the cad that I married?" All of my anger, frustration and exhausting came rushing out of me at the one person who didn't need to feel it. He looked like I had struck him.

"I didn't know," he whispered. "I...I..." he stammered, and I just looked at him. "I don't know how you like me to touch you. I don't know what turns you on or what makes you moan. I don't even know what you dislike. The only memory I have of being with you was your first time, which I remember you telling me was painful and uninspiring. I remember being with lots of other women, but I can't seem to remember being with my wife. I don't know what you see in me, and I don't want to disappoint you," he told me, and I felt stupid. I walked to him, put his arms around my waist and then wrapped mine around his neck.

"I'm sorry, it must be very hard for you, all of this. I didn't think about your feelings, I was just sort of wrapped up in my own. Will you forgive me?" I asked him and he leaned down and kissed me. I took it as a yes. "I guess I'm also a little afraid that you don't want me, not that way. If you're remembering all of the other girls, you might be reconsidering your choice." I think it was the whiskey that was letting me talk this freely.

"I thought that I made it clear to you, that I do indeed find you beautiful and desirable and most definitely sexy," he told me, leaning down to kiss my neck. "I guess that I need to make myself clearer," he said, as he went to kiss the other side. I groaned in pleasure. "I take it you like that?" he asked, and I made some sort of a noise. "Good to know. Listen to me. I" he kissed my left cheek, "want" he kissed my right, "you," and he deeply kissed my lips. I broke the kiss after a minute. He needed to know everything before we started.

"Sirius, before we get too far along with this, there is something that you need to know, about our love making." He stopped and looked at me.

"What?" he looked worried.

"When we're together, um, well the binding makes it very, intense," I was trying to explain this without getting too specific, but I wasn't finding words. He still looked confused. I was going to have to be blunt. "We can feel each other."

"Of course we can, silly, we'll be touching each other," he told me, making a joke like he would have made before his otherworldly adventure.

"No, not physically," I told him, rolling my eyes at him. "We feel each other's emotions. It's part of how I found you, when you were...lost. I've kept my emotions hidden from you, but, well, when I'm in the throes of passion, I won't be able to keep the wall up – you're going to feel everything and if what I get from you is any indication, it will be quite consuming."

"Wait, you mean, you've been feeling my emotions all this time and never told me?" he asked, and I nodded at him. "And I could have been feeling yours?"

"Yes, on both counts. I kept mine private so that I wouldn't hurt you or make you feel pressured in any way. I know that they've been intense. I've appreciated being able to feel yours, it helped me know what you needed," I told him. He seemed hurt.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wanted me to tell you that we share emotions? It's odd and uncommon, I didn't want to scare you." He nodded at that.

"Will you open yourself up to me now?" he asked, and I nodded at him, and let emotions pour out of me. He seemed surprised and delighted. "Do you really feel this way towards me?"

"Yes. Always, I love you more deeply than I knew was possible." If I'm going to open myself up, might as well do it the whole way. He picked me up and kissed me deeply. His tongue danced with mine and I felt his hand slip inside of my blouse to caress my back.

"Anwen, my beautiful wife, may I take you to bed?" he whispered and his words made goosebumps erupt on my neck and shoulder. I knew he wasn't talking about sleep. "Yes," I murmured back.


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: Hi everyone, here's another chapter. Songs for this chapter are: "City of Delusion" by Muse, "Show You Love" by Jars of Clay and "'Spose my Toes were Roses" by Tom Paxton. I know that a lot of people are reading, and I really appreciate it; how about dropping me a note and telling me what you think of the story? Please? Thanks, Mutt**

**Chapter 36:**

**Bits and Pieces**

**Sirius POV:**

The past week had been arduous, watching my Anwen weave her way through both her grief and her professional duties was both awe inspiring and painful. She had sung at Amelia's Memorial service, and my memories of her singing had flooded back to me. I realized it was one of the most glorious things that I had ever heard. When we got home, I made her spend several hours helping me sort out the memories that I had gotten back. Anwen also had to help with the rapid finding of another candidate for Minister, as well as help with the legal precedence of having Kingsley serve as the Bones family advisor until Susan was of age. She wasn't happy about the new Minister, they apparently had a history, and it wasn't a pleasant one, but she was beyond caring too much, Amelia's death had shaken her. She agreed to remain as the legal counsel for the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement, but she confided in me that it was only temporary. She had lost her zeal to work for the Ministry now. And twice this week, while trying to solve these legal dilemmas, she had fallen asleep over the books in the Potter family library, sitting in the chair. I had gotten her and carried her upstairs and put her into bed. After everything that she had done, it was nice to be able to care for her, even if it was in a small way.

It was mid-morning, and she was still sleeping. She didn't need to wake up today, her parents had taken the children out to the farm to spend time with them, giving Anwen a chance to relax and take care of herself. I had never appreciated my mother-in-law's generous spirit more than I did right now.

I marveled at the beauty of Anwen lying there. I had racked my brain, but no matter how hard I tried, there were still gaping holes in my memories of my wife. I had regained enough memories of our children now, that I could at least decipher what they wanted or needed when I was around them, but for the life of me, I couldn't put the whole puzzle of my relationship with Anwen together. The Healers had told me that it was alright to have her fill in the blanks, even tell me stories, as long as she thought that I could handle them. We had spent the days since talking about our life together. It had made me feel like she really was my partner and my love.

My fingers trailed down her face, across her shoulder and down her back, and I reveled in the feeling of her soft flesh beneath my hand. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me. I could also feel her overpowering love. _That takes a lot to get used to, feeling what she does, but man, it makes the sex unbelievable._ I smiled remembering the activities of the previous night.

"Good morning, love. How are you today?" I asked her, my hand caressing her waist. She smiled up at me, and looked up, as if she was trying to think of something.

"Languid," she told me, still smiling.

"Did I have anything to do with that?" I asked her and she curled one side of her smile up higher than the other.

"Most definitely," she replied, pushing herself up so that her lips met mine. _I really will never get used to kissing her._ "So what are your plans for today?"

"I don't have any, per se. I would like to see if there are other spells that I remember how to cast, and I would love to hear more stories." I want to remember it all, I needed to. I wanted to be the husband that this creature deserved.

"Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day," she purred, stretching her lithe body next to mine. _How horrid would it be just to spend all day in bed with her? We've been married for 10 years, together for 6 years before that and all I can think about is being in bed with her – that's sick man. She's the mother of our children, she's a mom, but she's so hot._ "Knut for your thoughts."

"Um," I stammered when I realized she was talking to me. "I was actually thinking about how beautiful you are, how much I would like to spend all day in bed with you. You are very, very sexy." She looked away from me, and I watched as the blush bloomed across her face, down her neck and across her shoulders while a nervous giggle escaped her. "What?"

"All of this, having to relive all if it, it's kind of nice, it's like I get to fall in love with my husband all over again. "

"Good, because I have fallen deeply in love with you," I told her and she seemed to melt. I held her to me and kissed her deeply. Our lips parted and she nestled down next to me, lying on her stomach, her arm draped over me. "So, tell me about our first kiss," I asked.

"We already talked about this, it was at the Yule Ball," she told me, rather plainly.

"No, tell me about our first real kiss, I told you, the kiss at the Yule Ball was just something that I did because its what I did with girls. I hadn't figured out you weren't just any girl yet. I remember it, it was, nice,"_ it was pleasant enough, but no wand sparks. Not like when I kissed her now._ "I want you to tell me about the first passionate kiss, Anwen."

"Alright. It was Easter weekend of my sixth year. I had come home on Thursday, and told you that I wanted to be an Auror, and you had thrown a fit," she told me. I looked at her confused.

"Wait, I want to hear about our kissing, not our fighting."

"I know, but you need the whole story, so hush up so I can tell you," she said with a glint in her eyes. "So anyway, you threw a fit, claiming that you needed to protect me and take me away, and you nearly forbid me to become an Auror, which was pretty funny, because you had no right to tell me to do anything. I stormed off and went up to be alone in my room. I woke up the next morning and you were sitting on my floor, watching me sleep. There was something in your face, and I knew that everything between us had changed," she looked away, and her face got soft, as did her voice. "Lily had insisted on throwing me a silly sixteenth birthday party two nights later, and I didn't know it at the time, but you and James had arranged to have my family there. Lily dressed me up in this ridiculously beautiful dress that had me barely covered, and had done my hair all up and I looked completely, different," she stopped to breathe. "I remember talking with Lily, telling her how scared I was, that you couldn't possibly feel about me the way I had been feeling about you, but she kept telling me that it would be okay. I came downstairs and I couldn't find you, and I was afraid that you were mad at me, and that you weren't there; but then I saw you, and I nearly forgot to breathe. You were so handsome," she told me, looking at me, running her fingers across my face. "We went in to dinner, and the whole night, every time that I would look at you, my heart would race and I got all sweaty, and it finally got so bad that I had to run away, from my own party." She rolled her eyes, looking like she was somehow frustrated with her younger self. "I was upstairs, crying like a leaky faucet. I felt so silly. Lily gave me a pep talk and sent me back downstairs. I paused at the door, and listened to the music. The little ensemble that they had hired was playing one of my favorite Adagios and then I came back to the table, and you put your arm around me, and I felt like I would simply melt away into nothing. I opened my gifts, and you gave me a beautiful cloak, that I didn't find out until later, was charmed out the wazoo to protect me. You always wanted to make sure that I was safe, even then," she looked at me again and kissed me.

"After supper, there was dancing, and you waited patiently, let everyone else dance with me, and then it was your turn. The music was a string version of 'I Can't Help Falling In Love' and you spun me around on the floor, and held me close to you." She looked away again, her face getting dreamy and lost. "Then you told me that you loved me. It wasn't a friendly love or even a familial love, it was passionate love; the kind between a man and a woman. I thought that I would faint from the words, your hold on me, the feel of your breath against my face and the touch of your hand on my back. I pondered for a minute what to do, and then I told you that I loved you too, and you leaned down and kissed me. It was glorious and I felt like I would fly away. We continued to dance, and everyone else left, and we just kept dancing, even once the musicians were gone and the lights were off. When I finally couldn't stand any more, you lifted me up and carried me to the lounge and you nestled me against you, between your legs and threw your jacket over me. I needed to touch you, needed to be near you." She finally looked back at me and I was in awe. Her memories were so vivid, it was almost like reliving them with her. "It was also the first time that I was French Kissed, that night, and I have to say, that was quite memorable as well," she said with her wonderful crooked smile.

"Well, I think you should show me how that went," I told her, and she was more than willing to comply.

Later that morning, we were sitting at the table in the kitchen, eating what one could only classify as brunch given the late hour. Neither of us had actually vacated the bed until around eleven, when the growling of my stomach became unbearable, and very noisy. A snippet of a memory – me shaking off as Padfoot in the mud room off the kitchen – came to me.

"Do I like to run around in my Animagus form?" I asked Anwen and Lily. They both looked at me, and laughed heartily.

"Sirius, love, you adore your Animagus form. We actually had a dog for a while, and you and Molly would run around the yard together. Confused the heck out of our old Muggle neighbor," Anwen said.

"Mrs. Couch, right?" She nodded at me, and I was happy that I had remembered something new all on my own.

"Do you remember how Harry would take the 'dogs' out, and the whole house would stink for days?" Lily added. Blackie, the Potter family dog, who was resting on a mat by the back door, raised his head at the word, dog, but then put it back down again.

"To call you enthusiastic would be an understatement. Once James is here, maybe you can see if you remember the spell. He has practice getting you out of it when you're stuck, I don't, and I wouldn't trust myself," Anwen said with a smirk. I was about to ask her why, when there was a flash, and then a phoenix was perched on the chair across the table from Anwen, staring at her.

Anwen was concentrating on the bird, and then nodded at it. "Lily, I have to go," she said plainly.

"Go, we're fine here. Let me know if you need anything or anyone," Lily responded, her face very serious. I was completely confused. _Is that Dumbledore's phoenix? Why would it be here for Anwen and can she talk with that bird? Was it a common occurrence for it to just show up here?_

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she said, leaning over to kiss me quickly. Anwen then got up, walked around the table, grabbed the tail feathers of the phoenix and in another flash of fire, she was gone.

"What was that?" I asked, still in shock and awe.

"Albus must have needed her immediately, that's his phoenix, and he's only sent it for her twice before, and both times, there was deep trouble. Sirius, I don't doubt that you are confused, but I can't even begin to think about where to start on this with you. We'll need to see what happens when she gets back. Now, James had said that you two were reviewing charms, to make sure that you knew how to do them. Where did you leave off? I'm not as good at them as him, but I did get my NEWT," she said to me kindly, and clearly, I wasn't to ask questions about what just happened. _I wish that everyone would stop walking on eggshells around me, and just be honest with me._

**Anwen POV:**

As soon as the disorientation from flashing had cleared from my mind, I could tell that there was something terribly wrong with Albus. He was half sitting, half lying on the settee in his office. Both James and Snape were hovering over him, and his magical signature was fluctuating wildly, with pulses of dark magic trying to disrupt it. As I got closer, I could see the source of the problem, his arm was withered and blackened by a curse that I could see quite easily. The signature on it was completely black.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, coming to kneel at his side. "Who did this to you?"

"He accidentally did it to himself," Snape said, with clear disgust in his voice.

"He couldn't have, the magic on the curse isn't his," I told him and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Of course not you simple minded girl. He put on the cursed item, hence giving himself the curse. It was cast by someone else. Even your dim-witted friend here, or maybe your husband could have figured that out. Well, he could have before, now I understand that he doesn't even know who you are," he sneered at me and I took a deep breath, preparing myself to speak.

"Don't talk to her that way you slimy git. You did your binding, and you admitted that you couldn't do more, I suggest that you be leaving," James said, standing up, looking like he would hit him. I looked at my friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

"James, don't. He isn't worth the effort, and don't forget, I can fight my own battles," I reminded him. "Now, someone, please tell me what's going on here."

"Anwen, I had gone to retrieve an item, a ring, and when I did I made the mistake of putting it on. The curse overtook this section of my arm before I could get it off. I got back here, and Severus was able to contain it. I summoned James, but he has been unable to break the curse. I was hoping that perhaps you would have the ability to do so," he said to me, looking somehow small and defeated. I thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. I knew that my magic still wasn't at full strength, nor was my mind as disciplined as I would have liked it, but there wasn't much I could do about it right now. I reached my hand out, and let it hover over his mangled arm.

I could feel the magic starting to respond to me, but then it would pull back and re-attach itself to Albus. After several tries, I gave up. "I can't remove it. I'm sorry, it's just too strong," I told him, and he sighed.

"I didn't actually think that you would be able to, but I had hoped. Can you tell if the curse is at least contained?" Albus asked me, looking somewhat resigned to his state.

"Mostly, although it's doing the most...interesting thing," I told him, looking at his arm, moving my head around, sort of puzzled by it. I hadn't ever seen a curse working like this. "Every once in a while, a very, very small bit of the curse seems to be able to break off, and stream away from your arm, into the rest of your body. It's almost as if it's attached itself to your blood and is using the bloodstream as a conduit to infect the rest of your body. It's very, very slow, and for right now, your magic is strong enough to combat it, but the longer it goes on, the harder it will be for your body to fight it. Eventually, I think, the amount of curse in your body will become toxic. You will only be able to fight it off for so long, before it overpowers you. I'm sorry," I told him quietly. _I wouldn't want to wish this on anyone, especially not someone that I do truly hold affection for, and whom I consider part of my family. It was much like the way that a cancerous tumor would grow in a Muggle, except that we can't cut out the affected part. _"Perhaps, some of the treatments that Remus and Lily use for the Werewolf infected children might help? And Ewan is here, he might have ideas, but I know that the curse is not fully trapped, nor can it be removed" I told him.

"I don't understand what you're saying about the bloodstream, it isn't a blood poison," Snape said, and it was my turn to roll my eyes at him.

"No, it isn't a blood poison, but it's using the bloodstream as a delivery system." He and Albus were looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I looked at James and sighed and then looked back. "Didn't either of you bother to study human physiology?" They continued to look at me dumbfounded. "This is what's lacking in a traditional magical education," I told James, referencing our long discussions about how to repair the education that most magical children came to Hogwarts with. I looked back at the other two wizards.

"Look, I discovered something in the last few years, about how magic travels through the body," I told them, and Snape looked disinterested, while Albus was suddenly intrigued.

"How did you make this discovery, Anwen? This isn't something that one usually studies, no one has been able to determine how," he asked, and I blushed, knowing the answer that I was going to give.

"It was while I was breast feeding my children of all times," I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed that I was talking about such things with Albus, and grossed out that I was talking about them at all with Snape. "Magic flows from the center of the body, and pulses along through it, loops back from the extremities and back to the center. I watched my children's magic strengthen as they fed, which made sense, and since they were so small, and generally not that magically developed. I could see the individual streams of magic. They travel just like blood in the body. I think that magic flows along in the body, circulating the same way. I can't see it in older children or adults, but I suspect that it's because there is just too much of it, and individual streams can't be seen," I told them, and both James and Albus were very interested, so I continued. "This curse is doing the same thing. It's sending small bursts of itself out along the magic in your body. It's using your magical strength to weaken you. We can work to reinforce the containment of the curse, but we aren't going to make it go away, and I doubt that we will permanently halt its progression. I believe that eventually, the curse will spread, and more of the tissue will die," I added somberly. _ How had I just gotten involved with diagnosing Albus' medical condition? There are healers to do that – I don't need to be involved in this, not now, not with everything else. _ I chastised myself for bringing yet another drama into my life.

We all sat there in silence. I wasn't sure what the plan was going to be, but I had basically just confirmed to my mentor that he was dying. I avoided making eye contact with any of the men, hoping that my job here was done.

"Severus, that will be all. We will discuss this at greater length another time," Albus said, trying to dismiss the Potions Master.

"Sir, while Mr. Potter is here," he spat at James, "we should discuss his son's behavior during our last Occlumency lesson." This wasn't the time or the place, but since he brought it up, I decided that I would discuss it, happily.

"You won't be continuing them. I don't know what the hell you did, but his mind was a mess. Believe me, by the time he gets back to school, he will know how to close his mind off," I promised them. Severus was angry.

"How dare you. You have no idea what happened..." he started.

"Yes, we do. We watched the whole thing. You should be ashamed of yourself. Your teaching methods are barbaric and cruel, and if you teach Potions the same way, it's a wonder that anyone makes a NEWT in your class. Now, I think you should be going. You know full well that I am more than capable of knocking you on your scrawny ass should you not choose to comply." I could feel my blood boiling. With that he grabbed the edge of his cloak, and swept out of the room. I rolled my eyes at him. "Drama Queen," I muttered under my breath, and both James and Albus laughed at me. "Are you going to tell me what you were after?" I asked Albus.

"Anwen, you know that I have no intention of discussing this with you," I looked at James and he nodded in agreement. _He needs to know that we already know all about it. He found the ring, huh. I wonder if he found any of the others, or if he even knows all about them._

"You found something else that houses a bit of old Voldy's soul, didn't you? It's a bit, just like the one that's embedded itself in Harry," I told him bluntly. He looked at me in shock. "I figured it out after my second trip in, it took a while, reviewing the pictures that I had taken, but I did figure it out, and I told the rest of the family. We think that there are three others remaining, plus the diary, which Harry already destroyed. A cup, a crown and a necklace. We still don't know about the magic that created them, but I have an idea." He had challenged me to figure it out, and with the help of the rest of the family, we had. He looked from me, to James, and back again.

"I think that he might have turned the snake into one as well, but that's the one that I am least sure of. There is still a small amount of his soul remaining in Tom as well," Albus told us. I nodded in understanding. "I found the ring, and before I had even thought about it, I was putting it on," he looked away, looking disgusted at himself. "They're called Horcruxes, and they are very old, very dark magic," he explained.

"I had a sneaking suspicion," I confided to him. "I found a book about them in Grimmauld, when we were first moving in. When I started reading it, and realized that it gave directions for making such a thing, I removed it from the bookshelves, and put it away in the family vault. It remained there until I encountered that thing in Harry's mind last year. I went to the bank, retrieved it and finished reading it, and came to understand that even if it wasn't a Horcrux, it was something similar," I told him quietly.

"How did you figure all of them out so quickly?" He was intrigued, and the color was beginning to come back to his face.

"On my second trip in, I conjured a camera, and took pictures of the space, dozens of them, then I sent the camera to my desk. When I was finished, I developed and studied them. Unconventional I know, but I needed something tangible to study. The other, Horcruxes, seemed to float in and out of relationship with the one in Harry's mind, but they were clearly connected. Have you figured out how to destroy them?" I asked.

"I did, but, it destroyed the ring too," he told me, pointing over toward his desk, where the ring with a broken stone sat. "I am concerned about the one that's in Harry," he said quietly, looking off into the distance. "I believe that if he were to allow himself to be...taken down...that the self sacrifice would kill the Horcrux, but I'm not sure what it would do to..." I couldn't believe what he was saying, especially in front of James. _What kind of an idiot thinks that letting a kid have himself served up as a lamb for the slaughter makes sense?_

"No!" James roared, "there has to be another way!"

"I don't see how..." Albus started, but I cut him off.

"You're wrong, there is another way, I'm sure of it, I need to keep just trying to work all the magics out. James, look at me," and Harry's father slowly turned to comply. "I will not let Harry be killed without a fight. You have to believe me. His life means everything, and I believe I know what we need to do," I told him and then I let my mouth break into a small smile. "I've learned a great many things about life and death and love in the last few weeks," I told him, and his face relaxed.

"I should think that you have," he told me, coming over and hugging me. He and Remus had most definitely taken a more protective stance around me recently, and I didn't mind at all.

"Now Albus, we need to know what it is that you want to do, and then we are going to figure out how we are all going to work together on it. If we don't agree with you, we will pull Harry from school, and teach and train him ourselves. You made some horrible choices in the last year, and none of us want to see a repeat," James told him sternly, and the Headmaster looked at us, and then bade us to sit down and talk.

**James POV:**

Anwen and I were quiet as we walked away from the castle. It had been a rather heated discussion, and it was obvious that this wasn't the first time that Anwen and Albus had argued about Harry, in fact, it would appear that the strain in their relationship had been caused by their inability to see eye to eye on what Harry should and should not be told.

"Anwen, why didn't you tell me things were so bad between the two of you? You shouldn't have had to sacrifice your relationship with Albus over my son." I felt guilty about what had happened.

"James, this isn't only about Harry. Albus and I have been having issues for years. It goes back to when he had Sirius intimidating people for information, during the first war. There were other things too, things he tried to keep from me about how my magic works, and what...what it can do to me. Perenelle told me the truth, and it made him livid," she said quietly. "I was in awe of him as a teacher, loved him as a father figure and mentor, but I couldn't quite get close enough to call him a friend, and now, I choose not to try so hard," she told me, and I was surprised at her candor. " I don't always agree with how he manipulates people, and things, for his own needs," she said quietly, and I was sure that there was more, but given everything she had been through, I didn't want to push. We crossed through the gates, and we were off of school property.

"Are you ready to go home?" I asked her, but she shook her head at me.

"James, if you need to get back, I understand, but I need to clear my head a while longer. There will be more questions to be answered and more stories I need to tell..." she said, stopping and looking at me. "Look, I go back this, irritated, I won't be able to control myself as I need to around Sirius. He keeps looking for information and some I want to give him, but I just can't figure out how," she sighed, and put her palms to her head, massaging her temples. "I know that I should be more patient with him, but..." she trailed off.

"Come on, let's get something to eat and you and I can talk about how I can help you with Sirius," I told her, putting my hand on her back, steering her towards the Three Broomsticks. Rosie greeted us at the door, and I shamelessly flirted with her, and she flirted right back. Anwen just smiled and shook her head. We ordered some soup and I got a butterbeer, while Anwen ordered a glass of wine. She seemed to relax as we ate and drank.

"So, what does Sirius want you to explain to him that you're not sure how to?" I asked, she sighed and breathed out slowly.

"He keeps asking why we don't have the home in Greece anymore. He only has a few memories of it, and they're all pretty wonderful ones, but I'm afraid of talking with him about it, to be honest. It isn't just what happened there, it's...I have to explain the whole thing. How awful my life had become just before his...indiscretion," she stopped and watched her finger slide around the rim of her wine glass, tracing the circumference with the tip of her finger. "Did you know that I had written a letter, and left it with Remus, in case I didn't come back from that last trip to Greece. It was a goodbye to you and Lil and a resignation from the Ministry. I was nearly ready to chuck my life and stay there with him. I was so desperately unhappy," she told me quietly, tears clearly forming on the edges of her eyes. _Even remembering it makes her look broken._

"Would it be easier if I told him? I can leave out about what you were doing at work, and just explain what happened, as best as I understand it. It should be enough for him," I asked her, she nodded at me, and then was very quiet again. "You know, you don't have to be so strong all of the time. No one would think less of you, if you had to take a little while and just spend some time alone each day."

"I can't do that to him James. He's still so scared of what he doesn't remember, and I know that he's worried about never being able to remember. He starts panicking when I'm not there. I can feel the relief in him when I return to him. But, sometimes...it just feels like I'm taking care of another child. I know I shouldn't feel that way, it's just so hard. There's a lot I don't want to remember, but he needs me to," she said no louder than a whisper. I reached over and put my hand over hers. The contact seemed to break down what few reserves she had left, and she just covered her face with her other hand. I didn't say anything, I was hoping that I didn't need to. After a moment, Anwen got hold of her emotions, and slid her hand out from under mine.

"I think we should be heading back there, I just want to make a quick stop at Honeydukes, and then we should go home," she said, throwing some money down on the table to cover the bill. _She's sneakier than her husband about paying. I never would have thought to ask her to pay for lunch._

"James, I need your help with something else," she said as we walked out of the pub. "I need to convince my parents to head back to Canada, or at least to leave Great Britain. I can't be worried about them with everything else, and as much as I love my sister, she isn't the best dueler; I don't think that she could protect them all." We crossed the street and headed back toward the confectioner.

"How about if we book them on a world cruise or a Continental tour? Give them a real holiday, since they've taken the time away from their inn?" I suggested, and she smiled at the idea. "Remus and I will explain that you need time with your children to help Sirius remember them. We'll be gentle, and I think that we can get them to agree. I fully understand your need to protect them. Would you like me to check the wards on the farm as well?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. I worry about Eira out there. At least Charlie is with her most of the time," she said, smiling. We went into the small shop, and she bought quite a bit of chocolates. "Hey, when you're feeling down, chocolate is the best balm there is. Lately, I have been feeling a little down," she said no louder than a whisper.

**Sirius POV:**

After what felt like forever, Anwen and James came back home, together. _I hadn't realized that they were off at the same place._ She came in holding a bag from Honeydukes, and was wearing a big smile.

"I picked up some of our favorites, and other things that have meaning for us. I figured you could try some of them later, and see what memories they stir up for you," she said, coming over and showing me the bag. I leaned down and kissed her. _Why do her lips taste like salt? I hope she hasn't been crying again._

"That sounds like a plan. Guess what Lily helped me remember?" I asked her and she shrugged her shoulders. I got out my wand and performed the Patronus Charm, still pleased when the large Griffin bounded forth and looked at her. When it evaporated, I pulled her close to me. "Would that be why you have that wonderful tattoo here?" I asked her, my hand slipping beneath her blouse to touch the small of her back where the winged Griffin tattoo was. I was delighted as she blushed again.

"Partly," she admitted. "But it also has to do with this. Fire yours again, dear," she asked, and as I did, I watched as she lifted a hand, and a smaller Griffin materialized next to mine. He lovingly stroked her with his beak and she laid her head on his wing before they both dematerialized.

"We share a patronus form?" I asked her, surprised.

"It's not uncommon for married couples to do so. Lily's changed to match James' when they were engaged," she told me and I looked over to see Lily and James, arm in arm, nodding at us. "Ours just happened to both completely change form after the mystical Binding ceremony," she told me and I looked at her puzzled. She took a deep breath. "Sirius, we were married with the three part, mystical ceremony. We've talked about this some, and we can talk more, but only once you've gotten back a few more memories. If I start just telling you all of it, you'll end up overwhelmed by it," she told me and I nodded at her. _We had indeed discussed this, but I was anxious to know about it._

"Does it have anything to do with Greece, and why you're avoiding telling me about it?" I asked and she inhaled sharply and looked away. _What the hell happened in Greece? Was it really that bad?_

"Sirius, it does, and I think that perhaps you and I should sit down and talk," James said to me, and Anwen wasn't looking at me yet. I put my hand under her chin, and lifted her face so that she would look at me. The pain in her eyes was excruciating.

"It's so bad that you can't even talk to me about it?" I asked her, and the idea that I had hurt her this badly, I couldn't believe it.

"Sirius, it will just be easier if I'm not the one who does it. We'll talk after James fills you in, okay?" she said, trying to fight back tears. "I'm going out to the farm to see the kids, why don't you come out when you're ready? There's a little inn in town that we love, and we could go down and have a nice family dinner out, how does that sound?" I nodded at her, and she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me gently, and then left the room with Lily. I turned and looked at my best friend.

"What the hell did I do to her?"

**Remus POV:**

I had been working in my lab, when I heard her voice, and needed to come out and see what in the world was going on. As I walked out, I saw them on the lawn. Anwen and Eira were sitting beneath a tree, and all six of the little children were sitting around them with Lily and her Ma. Anwen and Eira were singing some sort of a crazy kids song, with silly motions and such. '_What if my lips were on my hips, what a mess I would be in?' Who writes this stuff?_ They were all singing and laughing and dancing around, and the happiness of the moment was delightful. They finished singing, and she waved at me, getting up from the group, carrying little Jamie on her hip. The toddler was very attached to her mother, and Anwen's absences had been hard on her. I had heard her crying for her Mummy the previous night, while the kids stayed overnight with their grandparents.

"Hey there, Jamie, can you give Uncle Remus a hug and a kiss hello, I bet he's missed you," Anwen said to her littlest daughter, and she reached over and put her little hands around my neck and then left a very wet kiss on my cheek.

"I'd better not tell your Auntie Tonks, or she might get jealous that such a pretty girl is kissing me," I teased, and the toddler hid her head behind her mothers hair. "You look happy," I told Anwen, and she smiled at me.

"My children always make me happy, no matter what else might be going on in the world," she told me, completely honestly. "We need to have a family meeting tonight. James and I had quite a discussion with Dumbledore today."

"Which house and at what time?"

"Manor, at about 9:00. Lil and I need to get the kids to bed first. We're going to go into town, to eat at The Darlin Daffodil, do you want to go with us?" she asked me. _ Dinner out with Anwen, Sirius and four kids, could be interesting._

"Sure, I guess. Where is he anyway?" Anwen paused, and her face got serious.

"He and James are discussing Greece. I couldn't do it. He's been asking questions, but I just couldn't do that to him. He doesn't know that he broke my heart and nearly shattered me then. I couldn't tell him now," she said, sounding as if she was apologizing for not wanting to hurt her husband. I put an arm around her.

"It'll be fine. Actually, I have something I want to talk with you about. Remember when we were in your vault last year, and you said that there was stuff in there that you thought should go to Tonks?" I asked her, feeling just a bit foolish.

"Yes, she should have some of the family heirlooms. So should her mother. Why do you want to get something for her?" she asked sounding excited, and shifting Jamie to the other side of her body.

"Well, I was wondering if there were any...um...suitable rings...to..uh...give her...when I..." Anwen smile got huge and she was bouncing up and down on her feet.

"You are going to finally propose! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" she said, dancing around in a little circle. Jamie was clapping her hands as well, because her mother was so happy.

"Anwen, keep it down, I don't want everyone to know before I can ask Tonks," I reprimanded her and she stopped.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow we are going to the vault, and if you promise not to flip out, I'll take you into the heirloom room and you can go through the cases of jewelry and find the perfect ring. And if its not there, we can take any stone that you want and we'll get it set just the way you like it. I'll make sure that it's not cursed too, because that would suck for an engagement ring," she finally stopped to breathe and she threw her one free arm around me to hug me.

"What made you finally decided to do this?" She asked when she pulled away from me. I looked at her, and thought for a moment about how to explain this to her.

"What you did for Sirius. How certain you were that he needed you, and that you would be alright. I don't know that I would do what you did, but I know that if I don't even tell her how I feel, how I needed her to be near me, forever, then I certainly wouldn't." She smiled gently at me.

"Hard to believe that you would ever take a cue from Sirius how to conduct a relationship with a woman," she said back, smiling that knowing smile of hers. I groaned at the realization that I indeed did want to have that same type of relationship. Anwen and I made plans for the following morning, and we went back to the lawn with the rest of the family. A while later, James and Sirius came through the house into the yard. Padfoot's face was set on Anwen. She stood and he came and lifted her up and held her tightly to him, staring deeply into her eyes. The duo were staring at each other, their breath ragged, a conversation being carried on through their emotional bond. He then started walking toward the house, still carrying her. When they were inside, I heard Lily sigh.

"Maybe we should go to dinner without them?" James said, apparently a little confused and uncertain about what had just happened.

"Probably, dear, probably," Lily said smiling, patting his arm.


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: Because my amazing beta, Peter, has been a little speed demon lately, you get this chapter a day early! As an incentive to hear from some of you as well, anyone who reviews will be sent the outtake of Remus proposal to Tonks as a thank you for reviewing, I admit that I am not above bribery! Songs for this chapter are: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven and "Simple Gifts" which is an old Shaker tune, but my favorite rendition is by Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss. As always, I don't own Harry Potter, and no copyright infringement is intended by the use of the characters. Enjoy and let me hear from you, please...Mutt**

**Chapter 37:**

**Normalcy**

**Anwen POV:**

"Ew, you don't want that one, it's got some sort of a curse on it," I told Remus, and he immediately dropped the emerald and onyx ring back into the box. He picked up another one.

"What about this one?" he asked and I looked up at it and hoped to high heaven that he was joking. "That is ugly with a capital Ug!" I told him, looking at the ring which resembled two serpents twined together, holding an ostentatious diamond between them. "Anyway, I don't think she's real proud of the family history."

"Nope. There are few relatives that she's willing to admit to sharing a family tree with; Sirius, you, the kids, her Mum, and a couple of other people – most of whom she only knows by name because they're dead," Remus teased and we continued to rummage through the cases. I found something that I actually liked, and pulled it aside to take with me. After much searching, Remus pulled a ring from the bottom of a very aged case, and held it up for me to see. "What do you think of this one?"

"It's perfect, and it's curs– free, although there is magic in it," I told hum, and he made a face at me. "It's not bad magic, but it's there; sort of like the watch I gave Sirius. If you're worried, have James look at it, he's better with such things anyway; but it's the right ring," I told him, trying to suppress my smile. It was a delicate ring, but clearly well crafted, of bands of fine platinum that wove together, with a brilliant pale blue diamond.

"I wonder if I should buy her something instead. A ring that is hers alone. I have some money," he started.

"No, this is the perfect ring. As for not spending any money on it, all of this is just sitting here; we were thinking about liquidating some of it anyway, having it taken apart and melted down, this is a much better use for it. Remus, of all of us, I understand how you feel about taking things, but in this case, it makes perfect sense. This is the ring you need to give Tonks. Please, take it. If you don't want to tell her where it came from, you don't have to. Look what I found in our ransacking," I told him, reaching over for the velvet case and picking it up. "What do you think of these?"

"Anwen, they'll look perfect on you. They'll reflect the light and contrast against your hair," he told me, and I could feel myself biting my lip.

"They're not for me actually. I want to give them to Hermione. Her seventeenth birthday is in September, and Lily and I were talking a few days ago about how we should give her a proper birthday party before school begins. Her family won't know to celebrate this birthday, they barely know how to treat her and her remarkable talents as a witch, so Lil and I will make sure that she is properly honored," I told him, my hand tracing the stones in the set of hair clips that I had found in the vault. They were silver, but were covered with jewels in an intricate but artistic geometric pattern. From looking at them, I thought that they might have been created in the twenties or thirties, they had a very art deco feel to them. "Don't go being all impressed with me here, Remus. I don't want to hear it," I told him. He had that same stupid look on his face that he always got when he was about to tell me that I was a great person. "If there's nothing else that you need, I think we should be going? Have you given any thought about how you want to ask her?"

"I have. She loves Stonehenge, I thought I could take her at twilight, and propose to her there. We're far enough away from the full moon for me to be out in the moonlight," he told me and I smiled at him.

"It's perfect, and she will remember it forever. Just make sure she's wearing nice clothes, every time I think of Sirius proposing, I remember the polka dot pajamas I was wearing," I told him, putting my hand on his arm. "You know, this is all that I ever wanted for you, happiness. All those years, you were worried about my being happy, and I couldn't figure out how to provide you the same opportunities. You are my best friend, and I hope that I don't have to tell you, that I never would have made it through so much of my life without your strength." I told him quietly. He pulled me into a strong hug.

"I have only done for you what you have always done for me," he told me as I returned the hug. We departed the vault, and headed back upstairs. I quickly discussed some financial matters with Targnof, shuffled some money between accounts, and then we left the bank.

"It's a good thing that they like us so much, Sirius and me, we've moved well over half of our money out of the Wizarding world, and put it into Muggle accounts, just in case we need to get away or go into hiding. If you went by just what's in Gringotts, you'd think the Black family had lost most of its fortune," I told him jokingly, but I often found myself daydreaming or worrying, about where we might be in six months, a year, five years.

I got back to the Manor a short time later, and began preparing lunch. Remus had every intention of asking Tonks as soon as she had the time. I contacted Mad–Eye and asked him to trade shifts with her tonight, and he agreed, thereby clearing up her evening. _Even true romance can use a friendly little shove. We've all been waiting quite long enough for this, but most especially Tonks._

Lily had been out all morning visiting a young woman who had been infected during the first war. She was pregnant with her first child, and Lily was visiting often, offering her moral support. James and Sirius had stayed home with all of the little kids this morning – with the help of Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione of course. I didn't want to think on it too long, but I was sure that all four of my small children had probably been up flying with their family this morning. My suspicions were confirmed when Ethan came running in, asking me when lunch would be ready, so that: "Hawwy can show me how to roll over on my broom."

"We're you all flying this morning?" I asked my three year old, but it was his five year old cousin who chimed in.

"Yeah, Aunt Winnie, even Daddy and Uncle Sirius. He was laughing so hard while we were flying, and going so fast, he took all of us up on the broom with him, and we were skimming the trees with our feet," Evan told me, and I looked over the kitchen at my husband, cocking my eyebrow at him.

"Really, all of you were flying that high? Jamie and John too?" Even if he didn't remember that I didn't like having the twins up that high, surely James or one of the girls should have remembered.

"Yeah, you should have heard Jamie crying, she didn't like it at all," Evan told me, plopping himself down on the floor to pet Blackie, who was once again lounging in the sun coming in from the back door.

"Really, Jamie didn't like it, and she was crying?" I tilted my head and looked at Sirius, he just smiled that crooked smile at me. I exhaled, blowing the air upwards so that it lifted the hairs of my fringe off my forehead. Sirius came over toward me, hopping up so that he was sitting on the counter next to where I was working.

"As soon as she started crying I brought her straight down, and she went to Hermione. They stayed on the ground, and picked flowers from the garden," he told me, pointing to the windowsill behind the sink where a rather sloppy bunch of flowers sat in a cup. "I don't know if she'll be a Quidditch player, Win."

I stopped and looked at him, and his use of my nickname. I hadn't heard him use it since the incident a few weeks ago. "You called me Win. You haven't called me Winnie..." I dropped the bread that I was holding as I was in the process of making sandwiches. He hopped down from the counter and came and took me into his arms, his hands holding my hair away from my face.

"I didn't realize that you missed it," he told me, looking me lovingly in the eyes. "You are most definitely my beautiful Winnie," he whispered before he kissed me. A moment later, there was a groan.

"Come on Uncle Sirius, Aunt Winnie, you're old, stop snogging over lunch," Harry complained and we both broke apart laughing. The rest of the teens had followed him in, and with so many hands, we got lunch prepped quickly, and then we sat down to eat. James had come in from the library, where he had been doing some work and Lily had just gotten home. We were eating and conversing, when I looked over at my youngest son. He was very discretely dropping his pear slices onto the floor, where Blackie was picking them up and eating them for him.

"John Sirius Black, do you want to go flying with your cousin after your nap this afternoon?"

"Rughf, nurblyum, orlbo," he said, telling me something in his toddler language, nodding his head with a big smile.

"Mummy, he says that he wants to fly," Ethan said, translating for his little brother. I was often amazed at the way my older two seemed to understand the little two, even if they weren't speaking words.

"Then you need to eat your pears, not drop them on the floor for the dog. Anyway, we have butterscotch oatmeal cookies, which I happen to know are your favorite, but you won't be getting any unless you eat your healthy food first," I told him, and he looked at me with the most puzzled stare. "And your Daddy won't be sneaking you any, either," I said, giving Sirius that look that let him know I meant business. John looked at me again, then thought for a moment, and then picked up a pear from his high chair tray and ate it. "Good boy."

The older kids were talking about school, and how they thought that they had done on their exams. Hermione was particularly concerned with her OWL results. _Like there is any chance she didn't do well._ We finished up lunch, and a whole gallon of milk, and Sirius and I took the twins up first to get them down for their naps. The Hogwarts kids went back out to the yard, while the older four were allowed to go into the lounge and watch one television show before they had to nap. They enjoyed a show called "Rupert" about a little bear. Once they too were down, Sirius and James went to work on some spell work, including some curse breaking. Lily went to start preparing dinner and I had nothing to do...no laundry, no cleaning, no work for the Ministry, nothing even needed to be dealt with for Harry. I was thrilled that I had a few moments to myself, and headed through the ballroom for my favorite room in the Manor.

I sat down at the piano, and took a deep breath, letting my fingers caress the keys. I started playing the Moonlight Sonata  and just closed my eyes and enjoyed the experience of playing and feeling the music move through me. _ I had forgotten just how relaxing this could be, just making music, feeling it flow through me, not really having to think, just being able to do something. _ It had been a while since I played, and I kept making fingering mistakes, even though the piece was fairly simple. About two-thirds of the way through, Sirius came and sat down next to me. His hand gently ran up and down my back a few times, and as I finished playing, he slipped it under the thin cotton shirt I was wearing. I shivered at his touch, even though it was anything but cold in the room.

"I could feel that you were at peace, so I wanted to come and find what had made you feel that way," he told me, turning himself sideways on the bench. He gently guided me so that I would do the same, our knees touching, his hands resting on my waist, mine on his thighs. "Then I had this memory, of being in here with you, sitting on this bench, much like we are now," he told me, as he leaned down and started kissing the exposed flesh of my neck and shoulders. "But I also remember you being frightened of something," kiss, "Why were we here?" another kiss, "What had you so scared?" and another.

I took his face between my hands. I knew that this would be coming, living here in the Manor he was liable to remember it sooner rather than later. _At least that only leaves the miscarriages that I don't really want to have to talk about, oh, and the crap about his grandfather, but maybe I'll just leave that buried. The only one who knows besides me, is King._ I made him stop kissing me, knowing full well that I couldn't concentrate with his lips on me, and had him look at me.

"We'll start this with a question. How much do you remember about your brother?" He looked at me puzzled.

"What does my little brother have to do with this?" he asked, sounding somewhat repulsed, but I didn't say anything. "I know that he didn't like you, and that you had problems with him at school. You had an altercation with him at a Quidditch match, and you punched him, and I know that he's dead. That's about all," he answered. I nodded at him.

"He hated me, I never did figure out why completely, but that's neither here nor there. We did have a fight after a Quidditch match, he called me a whore, I didn't like it. Only time I ever got detention while I was at school – unlike your record, which I think may still stand. Anyway, Regulus joined up with Voldemort while he was still in school," I told him, and his eyes flew open wide.

"My brother was a Death Eater?"

"Yes, and he never actually finished school, so you did better than him there. He was in the inner circle, along with your cousin Bella, her husband Rodolphus and Lucius Malfoy. The four of them attacked me in Hogsmeade in October of my seventh year," I told him quietly. He went to say something, but I put my hand on his mouth. I wasn't looking forward to telling this story, and I just wanted to get it out. I looked past him, staring at the clarinet on the wall behind him, encased in glass. "They set off an explosion at the end of the street, to lure all of you away from me, and then they got me to go down a dark alley, where they attacked me. I had curse burns on my face and torso, and they broke my shoulder so that I couldn't change into my bird form and fly away." I could feel tears at the corners of my eyes, but I didn't want to cry about this, not any more. "Um," I scratched my head absent-mindedly. "They tried to rape me, and they used the Cruciatus on me. But James found me, and you all got me to hospital in time, and I was fine. It took me a while, however, to completely recover, so we lived here, so you could have help taking care of me. We stayed here for months, and the hardest part for me was letting you touch me again. It kept feeling like their hands on me, groping at me," I told him, still not making eye contact. I felt him tense against me, his hands moving away from me.

"My brother did that to you? Why did you stay with me?"

"Because I loved you, I still love you. I might not have recovered if it wasn't for you, the way you took care of me. Sirius, it was a very long time ago. I made my peace with those demons – partly because I put the Lestranges in jail and made life hell for Malfoy," I told him, adding a smile to reinforce my point.

"What about Reg?"

"He was killed by Voldemort not long after that. We found out on Christmas Eve. You were jubilant at the idea that he would never be able to come after me again. The memory that you were having, was of the first time I really let you touch me after the attack. We were sitting on this bench, and you had pulled me so that I was very close to you," I told him, putting my calves up on his thighs, just like we had been that day. "And you had slipped your hands inside of my jumper, caressing my back and sides," Sirius seemed to understand, because as I said it, he mimicked his motions of that day. "and you kissed me, very deeply," I sighed as his lips worked their way from my collarbone back up to mine, "and then you pulled me up onto you like this," I said, positioning myself over him.

I let my hands twine into his hair, and I got lost in the wonder of his tongue dancing with mine. He had become much bolder in his actions with me, and his hands went roaming all over under my shirt. I slid mine down his body, and released his shirt from the waist of his jeans and let my hands do the same. "You know," I whispered, in his ear as his lips assaulted the flesh the v-neck of my tee shirt made available, "I've always had a rather wicked fantasy about a piano, and you, and ..." my breath caught "...use your imagination love," I moaned and he growled in excitement. I raised my hand, sealed the door, silenced the room, and drew the curtains with one wave. "Now, about that fantasy..."

**James POV:**

"You don't think that they're having sex in there do you?" I asked my wife, we were sitting in the kitchen, and I had seen the curtains in the conservatory close as I was coming back in from the back yard. Harry and his friends were flying around back there, and I wanted to remind them that they had defensive practice with me in a half an hour.

"It's Sirius and Anwen you're asking about. What do you think?" I groaned at them. _How the hell do they do it? I mean, they've been married less time than Lily and I, but really, they're still like rabbits. Admittedly, he doesn't remember much of the last years, but, really..."_ I looked at Lily and she was shaking her head at me. "Love, they've always been this way, and it's only going to be worse for a while, since he's just remembering. She'll clean up in there, I know Anwen too well. Anyway, she loves the piano in there too much to make sure that it isn't well taken care of," my wife told me.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up pregnant again," I told her. I fully expected them to have more kids, _Sirius said that he wanted to have his own Quidditch team, and if Jamie's reaction to flying was any indication this morning, she won't be playing when she gets older._

"Funny you should bring up being pregnant," she said, looking down at the table.

"Lil, you, we're not, are we?" I said, barely able to contain my excitement. We had been trying to get pregnant with another baby for a year now. I knew that this was something that she wanted very badly.

"I saw the healer this morning, and I am nearly three months along," she told me, picking up her blouse to show me the obvious bulge to her belly. My hand went to rest on it, and I could swear that I felt something move inside. I looked up at her face and smiled.

"Oh my beautiful Lily, another baby? Really?"

"Really, I'm due on January twenty-fifth." I was so excited, I leaned over and kissed my Lily. _ I know in my heart it isn't the best time to be having another baby, but I think that we all knew from everything that had happened here lately, there were no promises in life. Sometimes, you just had to live the life you have, right now._

"So, when are we telling everyone?" I was ready to run through the house now.

"I think we should tell Harry first, he might be embarrassed to find out that his parents are still having sex," she told me. _Oh, forget that, he must know; and it can't come as a big surprise, he lives with Anwen and Sirius._

"Fine, we'll tell Harry shortly, and then I think that we should invite everyone else over for dessert tonight tell them then. I'll fire call Molly and Arthur, have them tell Charlie and Eira and her parents. Oh, and we should get in touch with Remus and Tonks." I really was happy. We talked a while longer, we both agreed that we didn't care what it was, as long as it was healthy. _I would never tell Lil this, but I would love a little girl with red hair and green eyes that looked just like her Mummy._ She set about making another batch of cookies, and Anwen emerged and started making a treacle tart. I suggested two for good measure, and she just looked at me, confused.

I fire called Molly and she promised to not only get in touch with Eira, but bring along some fruit pasties that she had made. I got in touch with Remus, but he said that he and Tonks had some plans, but he was sure that they would be over, just a little late. Anwen seemed to jump out of her skin at this turn of events, but she said nothing else, just hummed as she rolled out the pie dough.

I did the lesson with the four Hogwarts kids, and I was pleased with just how far they had come and how skilled they were. We talked some about what happened in the Department of Mysteries, and they all seemed to be dealing with it well, with the exception of Harry, but he and Anwen were working on it. He suggested that we invite Luna and Neville to join them for their defense lessons, and I agreed and promised to contact their families in the morning. The kids awoke from their naps and soon, we were all outside on the deck, playing in the warm summer sun. We had even set up a small Muggle wading pool, and all of the kids changed and frolicked in the water. Lily and I took Harry aside a while later, and told him about the new baby.

"Really, another one. Are you trying to keep up with Uncle Sirius?"

"No, but, we will be even with this baby. Didn't think about that earlier," I confided in him. "Hey, how would you and Ron like to go to a Quidditch match? I know we haven't kept our season tickets for this year, but I think that we should take in a match. Take Uncle Sirius too, he loves watching Quidditch, or he did. Maybe it will help him remember?"

"Dad, I will always go to a match. When does Portree play again?" he asked, and we went to the Lounge to check the _Prophet_ to see the schedule.

"Hey," I said, " turns out that they're playing tomorrow, and they're playing Puddlemere. That was Sirius' favorite team. Why don't I go down there and see if I can get tickets?"

"That's great Dad. Hey, and Oliver Wood plays for their reserve, maybe I can get a chance to say hi to him," he told me, looking quite happy. I apparated down into town, and was able to procure a section of seats for tomorrows game. There would be enough room for anyone who could come. I told Lily and she smiled.

"I'm glad that you're going to have a day out, however, I don't see Hermione wanting to go, she's really not much of a Quidditch fan," she told me, and I remembered that.

"Well, why don't you take her into London to the Art Museum. I know how much she loves that," I suggested, but Anwen came in and heard the end of the conversation.

"Actually, I need to go to Monaco to get some more potion supplies for Remus and Ewan, how about if I take her with me, and we can hit the Museum there. In fact, if we don't go tomorrow, you can come with me Lils, and then we can go shopping too," she suggested. I thought that it was the perfect plan.

Dinner was happy, and we sat out on the porch to eat. As night began to fall, the Weasley family began showing up. Molly looked somewhat happy, though not completely, but Bill and his girlfriend looked thrilled to be near each other. Charlie and Eira were wrapped up in each other as well, and even the Hogwarts kids seemed happy to be around each other. I couldn't help but notice that Harry kept giving Ginny some rather significant looks. Sirius and Anwen were up on their brooms, and Jamie seemed to be much happier to be flying, since she was with her Mummy. _Maybe I was wrong about her liking flying. Maybe she just needs her Mummy to teach her._ Anwen brought Jamie down, and handed her to Eira, and then challenged Harry to a race. He, of course, took the challenge. _He keeps thinking that he can beat her, and he never does. His best shot was back when he was about twelve, now he out weighs her by way too much._

Sirius kissed Anwen, and wished her luck and I acted as referee for the race. We set the turn around point and I started the race. Anwen beat Harry back, and had come to a complete stop and was waiting for him to return, laughing at him. "Silly boy, you will never learn," she teased him. Then Ginny challenged her. _ This could be a much closer race. Ginny and Anwen are much closer in size, but I think Anwen might be a better flyer. _ We used the same turn around, and this time, the race was much closer, Anwen only winning by a few feet.

"Ginny, that is some spectacular flying girl. You're amazing up there," Anwen congratulated the younger woman. Lily started getting the pudding out, and Molly had gotten up to help her. Once everyone had some, I stood up on a chair, deciding that it was time to let them know why we really had invited them all over tonight.

"Friends, kids, family, Lily and I are happy to let you know that we are having another baby in January," I said gushing. I got down from the chair, and kissed my wife. Anwen popped up and held Lily tight. I knew that she was aware how badly Lily had wanted this. Others congratulated us, and everyone seemed happy, except for Ron, who just looked puzzled. I asked Ginny what she thought his problem was.

"I think he's just flipped out that you and Mrs. Potter actually kiss, doing more is beyond what his mind can grasp," she told me, flippantly. I couldn't help but laugh. We lounged around for a while longer, eating desserts, and I reveled in being in my friends' company without having a crisis invading our lives. _A few weeks ago, all of this was nearly wiped out, and now, Sirius was doing better, Anwen seemed calmer; Lily and I were going to be having a baby. Harry was adjusting, and we were nearly ready to tell him everything. The future was uncertain, but at least right now, we're happy._

Once it was dark, Anwen took the twins up, and put them to bed, and shortly after, she and Lily took the older four up and got them tucked in as well. It wasn't long after they returned that Tonks and Remus came through the floo, both looking like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary. Anwen actually squealed when she saw them.

"Moony, what's going on?" Sirius asked.

"We're getting married! He FINALLY asked me!" Tonks yelled, and Anwen was up and hugging them before the words were out of her mouth. _I don't believe it, he finally got up the nerve to ask her. Thanks to Merlin! The last Marauder bites the dust. Who'd have thunk it. _ I went and conferred with Anwen, and a moment later, there was fine French champagne as well as sparkling apple juice for my wife, to toast the newly engaged couple. _Love those conjuring skills of hers. Brought the wine over from the cellar at Grimmauld without leaving the patio. _We were all surprised when Bill Weasley stood up and cleared his throat.

"Remus, sir, I don't mean to steal your thunder here, but I can't keep this to myself any longer," he started, and I saw Molly trying to pull him down. Arthur was reaching for her hand, to pull her away. Ginny and Hermione were looking at each other, rolling their eyes. "I asked Fleur to marry me yesterday, and she said yes. So, it looks like we will be having two weddings in the next year," he said, and another round of congratulations began. _Today was really turning out to be a great day._

"It'll be three, Eira and I have set a date for October of next year," Charlie announced, and everyone was clapping. What a great night.

**Sirius POV:**

It was late when I finally was alone with Winnie upstairs. "Why do I get the feeling that you knew what was going to happen with Moony and Tonks today?"

"Because, I did," she said, scrunching her face together the way she does when she's trying to keep me from getting angry at her for hiding something from me. "Look, he asked me for my help, and wanted it kept secret. I hope you don't mind, but the ring came from the family vault. Before this" she said waving her fingers in front of me, "had happened, we had talked about giving each of them some of the family heirlooms," she was rambling again. I silenced her with a kiss.

"I'm not upset, and thank you for helping him," I told her when I removed my lips from hers. "Today's been a good day. I mean I wasn't happy to find out what a git my brother was, and how he'd hurt you, but the rest of it was good. I'm happy for Moony, and kinda surprised that my kid cousin ended up with my mate, but I guess I dealt with that a while ago," I told her and she nodded at me. "And Bill and that French girl, what's her name?"

"Fleur, her name is Fleur," Anwen told me.

"Right. It's good that they're getting married, although Molly doesn't seem real happy."

"I don't think that anyone is good enough for her children in Molly's eyes, even my sister, who she loves. Give her time, she'll come around, I actually like Fleur," she told me.

"That's because you can converse in French with her. How many languages do you speak?" She looked away, embarrassed again. _ Oh, this should be good._

"Seventeen."

"Damn, I married not only a beautiful, sexy, sweet and wonderful wife, who's a brilliant mother, but she's really smart too!" I was so proud that I was married to Anwen. I pulled her close again, and wrapped my arms around her. "What about James and Lily, and the new baby? How do you feel about that?" I really wasn't sure how she would feel. I guessed I was happy, I couldn't think of a reason not to be.

"I'm thrilled darling. Lily has wanted this for a while," she told me, but I could see something in her face. "You wish it were us?"

"No, not exactly. I don't begrudge them having their kids, and I'm not even sure that I would want one right now, but yes, I would love to have more children with you. You once told me that we made such beautiful babies, that we needed to provide the world with them, just to make the world a lovelier place."

"That sounds perfect. When you're ready, I'm ready. You're a remarkable mother, and the fact that you want me to be the father of your children, it messes with what little part of my mind still works right," I told her as I headed toward the en suite loo to get her nightgown and the shorts I wore to bed. We changed and got ready for bed and when we were nestled back down, she extinguished all of the gas lights in the room with a wave of her hand, leaving only one small candle lit next to our bed.

"Tomorrow should be good too. You love watching Quidditch, I'm glad that you'll get to go to the game, and spend some time with the guys, and Ginny," she added. James, Harry, Evan, Ginny, Ron, Bill, Charlie and I were going into town to see Portree play in the afternoon. Anwen shifted against me. "I was thinking, maybe, soon, I could take you to Grimmauld, let you look around, see if anything else comes back," she suggested, and I nodded to let her know that I thought it was a good idea. Her fingers trailed down my chest, to the tattoo of Padfoot swimming. Her fingers traced along it, and it gave me goosebumps.

"What is it about that one that you like so much?" I asked, while my body shuddered at her touch.

"It was the first one that you got for us," she told me, as her lips went and kissed it. I couldn't help but groan at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius, my name means beautiful lake. It's Padfoot, swimming, in a beautiful lake. You got it not long after we first time we made love. I have always loved it. But it's actually my second favorite. The one that drives me wild, its the one on your wrist," she told me, laying her head on my chest. I looked at both my wrists, there was nothing there. She smiled at me.

"Sirius, touch the inside of your right wrist with your finger, watch what happens," and I did as she asked. I was shocked as her name appeared and then faded. I looked at her surprised. "It's from the handfasting and I've got one too," she said as she brought her lips to her wrist and I felt a powerful surge pass through me. _Being married to Anwen is quite amazing._


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello there everyone, another day, another chapter. I advise everyone to hold on, this one is a bit of a roller coaster ride, and you might need some tissues while you're riding. The song for this chapter is "Trying to throw your arms around the World" by U2. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, I am humbled at how well this story has been accepted. I don't own Harry Potter...yada yada yada. Mutt  
**

**Chapter 38:**

**This is What Families Do**

**Anwen POV:**

"You're a little hot under the collar there, Winnie," James teased me. He had no idea just how hot I had been earlier.

"Damn straight. He was..irritating and insufferable. That man is a menace, and it would appear that we are in for continued years of crap under him," I didn't generally swear, but I was angry. I had gone into the office today, and within minutes of my arrival I had been hauled down to the new Minister's office by his personal assistant. Rufus Scrimegeour wanted my assistance in bringing in both my husband and his godson for information regarding the incidents nearly two months ago in the Department of Mysteries. I had, in no uncertain terms, told him no. I then proceeded to quit my job, get back into my office, seal it, remove my personal items, and leave the office through the library door. I snuck out the back way of the building. My career at the Ministry of Magic was thereby done. I hadn't planned on quitting just yet, but I couldn't take any more. I was too aggravated and upset to stick around.

"Winnie, love, you need to calm down. He isn't worth getting this angry about," Sirius told me, trying to calm me down. I wasn't much in the mood. Being this irritated reminded me that I was the one in control, and I liked having some control over something. Everything else had felt like it was well beyond my abilities, and I was just a hapless puppet playing a part.

"No, I don't need to calm down," I snapped at him, and Sirius instantly recoiled from me. There were still large blocks of time missing in his mind, and though we had rebuilt enough to have a happy and placid marriage, it was hard to know that he had no idea what most of our relationship was really like. He particularly disliked my edgier, confrontational side, which was rearing its ugly head and was in control right now. I swallowed hard, remembering that I had to make things as easy and open for him as possible, to help facilitate his continued recovery. "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It wasn't fair of me," I told him, reaching over to take his hand. He didn't pull away, but he didn't respond either. My heart groaned at the damage that I had just done.

"How about if we figure out what we are sure of, what the plan is from here, and how we are going to complete our plans before school starts again?" Remus suggested, and we all nodded in agreement. Lily shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and James got up, got her a small throw pillow, and put it behind her back. She looked up and smiled at him, and they shared a moment of comfortable intimacy. She was not dealing well with the heat and humidity of August, and being four and a half months pregnant, well.

"I'll start. The Auror Department is in shambles. There aren't enough of us to cover regular rotations, and with no one new coming in, it's only going to get worse. The Order is going to be taking care of some of the assignments that require finesse. We're going to be responsible for the safety of Hogwarts however. They're also trying to crack down on the information leaving the Ministry, but there are so many leaks to the press, we can't seem to plug them all. Sorry, James, I know that you really wanted to keep Harry and everything out of the papers," she apologized, but we all recognized that there was nothing that she could have done about it personally. Tonks and Remus were sitting close, holding hands, but she seemed to be distracted. They had set their wedding date for a Saturday in September, and they would be married out at the farm, in a very, very small ceremony. Lily, Molly and I would be doing the food for the party afterwards, and Albus had promised to get the kids there from school.

"It would be better if other people weren't using his celebrity to get what they wanted from him," I whispered under my breath. I didn't like the way that Harry was used to get Horace Slughorn to come back and teach this year. We still didn't know who would be teaching Defense, but James and I had a sneaking suspicion. He shot me a dirty look, and then continued talking to Tonks. He and I didn't quite agree on the 'usefulness of celebrity'.

"We didn't expect that you'd be able to stop the flow of gossip out of the Ministry yourself," James teased. "But we are happy that you're at least keeping an ear out. We all know what is fact and what is fiction, and Harry has told Ron and Hermione. I've tried to get him to tell Ginny, but things seem a little, weird between them," he said off handedly, and Lily started laughing. I couldn't help but join her.

"Well, yeah, Harry finally figured out that she's a girl, now he doesn't know what to do about it," Lily said, holding her belly while she laughed at her oldest son.

"Harry likes Ginny? When did this happen?" Sirius said, and I felt bad, realizing that he wouldn't really remember the last few years, watching them dance around each other the way they did. I patted his hand again, and smiled at him.

"I'd say it started about oh, five years ago, maybe longer. The bond got much stronger this past year however, as she helped him work through his feelings about being possessed and cursed by Voldemort. They've been spending a lot of time together in the last few weeks," I told my husband quietly, and he nodded at me, like he was trying to process this new information.

"Can we help them get together?" he asked hopefully. "I know she has a boyfriend, but, I don't like him, on principle. Never actually met the guy. She needs to be with Harry," Sirius told me, and I shook my head.

"Heaven help the boy who tries to date either of our daughters," I sighed. "Anyway...speaking of Harry, he's made wonderful progress. He can keep nearly everyone out of his mind now, except for me, but even King couldn't always keep me out. I'll keep working with him, but I feel fairly certain that his mind is safe from Voldemort. He's reinforced the door to keep the connection closed, unless he were to choose to open it. I have forbade him from trying to do so," I added with stern emphasis at the end.

"Then if his mind is safe, it's about time that we tell him everything," Lily said in a quiet, meek voice.

"Actually, Anwen and I have been conversing with Albus, and we think that we have a plan for speaking with him about the horcruxes," James said quietly, and everyone turned to look at us. "Please, don't be angry, there is something else that's going on, we decided to use our position on that matter to get what we wanted here," he said, but he was struggling with his words. _Word manipulation is a specialty for me._

"James, don't mince words, Albus needed something from me, but I wasn't willing to give it to him without something in return. This is the return. We're all getting, mostly, what we want," I told them calmly, but they were still not understanding. "Just tell them."

"It's like this, we're going to finish Harry's training, and it will continue once school has started up again. Albus is going to tell him about Voldemort, about his childhood and his life before he became that monster, and then introduce the idea of the Horcruxes. We're all afraid if we do it too quickly, it will cause Harry too much pain. Anwen will continue monitoring him, from a distance, so that we can tell if it's getting to be too much for him. Anwen is also working on a way to remove that, thing, from him," James told them.

"Albus has a plan, but it's ridiculous and dangerous, and stupid," I editorialized. _It's barbaric and amounts to asking Harry to commit suicide. It is stupid._ "When Voldemort tried to possess Harry this spring, he couldn't, because the sheer volume and capacity that Harry has to love and be loved was unbearable to him. That is something that I am more than willing to exploit," I said with a smile._ If there was nothing else, this room and this family were filled with love. If that was what we needed to save Harry, then God should be praised._ "Ewan has been working on a new and improved binding potion, that builds on the strength of Harry's love. We're holding off on it, for right now, because there is something else he needs to do before it will work correctly," I told them and they all looked confused. "Time will tell," I shared, but that was the only extent to which I was willing to do so. "We're also going to be teaching the kids all how to do messaging patronuses, so that they can always get hold of us. Albus wasn't crazy about it, thinks that it will give away their relationship to the Order, but I reminded him that you would have to be blind and asleep for the last 10 years not to figure it out that Harry's close to the Order, and through him, so are his friends," I quipped, and others actually laughed. I was feeling better, and Sirius twinned his fingers through mine. _Laughter, laughter better outburst than screaming, try and remember that._

"Alright, then, let's make sure we all know what we're doing. They will be working on healing potions with Ewan, plant identification with Lily, defensive spells and protective charms with Sirius and me, dueling with Tonks, human transfigurations with Anwen and the patronus charms with Remus," James summed up. We nodded, and started to make moves to get up, but Remus spoke up.

"Actually, I'm going to need to have Anwen teach them, I'm going to be away for a while. Albus has asked me to go underground, to talk with some of the other werewolves, try and keep them from following Voldemort. The promise of the treatment that Ewan is working on might just be enough," he said, looking at the table. The words just tumbled out of him and fell into the room like vomit. Tonks was crying next to him, holding onto his hand. It felt like the wind was sucked out of all of us.

_I don't believe that Albus would ask such a thing of him. Remus has looked for years, for happiness and peace, and now, when it's at his fingertips, Albus thinks that he has the right to take it away? Ewan is so close to a cure, not just a potion to make the changes bearable, but a real cure – a way to remove the infection altogether. _ I could feel my body shaking, not just at the anger I had at our leader for asking this of him, but at Remus too, because he felt indebted to our former headmaster for all he'd done for him in the past, and would do this damned stupid thing. Tonks had started crying harder, and Lily had gotten up and went to hold her.

"Just because he asked, doesn't mean you have to go," I stood up, screaming at him.

"Anwen, you know I do. He needs a spy, and I'm here, ready made," he told me.

"You don't owe him anything, not anymore," I berated him. My body was shaking and tears were streaming down my face. "Don't you see that? You repaid him in spades for what he did for you twenty years ago. Tell him no, tell him you want to get married and be happy. Tell him he can't take another member of this family and put them into mortal danger," I pleaded with him, and he was just staring at me. James and Sirius had both gotten to their feet as well. James was staring at me, and Sirius looked as if he was in shock. "Please, for me, for all of the years we've been friends, please don't go," I begged him.

"Anwen, if it were that simple, you know that I would stay. We have to hold this war off as long as we can. This is what I have to do. Anyway, I have a beautiful fiancée, I have to come back so I can marry her," he said, going over and taking Tonks in his arms. I was so angry.

"Bastard," I said as I got up and walked out. As I reached the entryway, I veered toward the front door, and broke into a run as I hit the gravel drive in the front of the house. I ran to the far side of the pond, and sat down in the grass under the huge willow tree there. The grass was tall and soft there, and when I sunk down into it, the tips of the leaves were taller than me. I felt like I was hidden from the world, and the place where all this pain resided. I sobbed in the starlight that was reflected by the pond. I cried until I didn't think there was anything left in me. I was exhausted and overwrought. I didn't even hear Sirius amble up in his dog form, or when he plopped down in the grass next to me, and changed back.

"You want to tell me what that was all about back in there?" I didn't say anything. "You got a secret fling going on with the wolfman that I should be worried about?" he joked, and the tension broke from my body like a badly applied cast.

"Be serious," I muttered under my breath.

"I am Sirius," he said, slapping his chest like some silly caveman. I groaned at the bad pun.

"I HATE that joke," I told him, and he smiled at me.

"I remembered," he said, his smile getting bigger, "thought I'd use my amnesia to get away with it again." I shook my head at him. _At least there are many more glimmers of the man that I married._ "So, what was going on in there, you weren't just upset at Moony going away. You looked like you were going to loose it back there. " I took a deep breath, and looked out over the pond and the stars reflected there.

"Sirius, you remember how it was, back when we were really young, back when we were like sister and brother?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yes, I do remember our relationship back then, but I'm pretty glad that I finally figured out that you were a girl, and the perfect girl for me. Why?"

"Even while were at school, Remus and I had a similar relationship. We'd sit together, and talk, while he was healing from his changes. I was always at ease with him, even with his problems. Then when you were in Greece, it was often just us, day after day. James and Lily were in hiding, and other members of the Order were busy, so it was us; and we'd talk and dance and laugh. He's the one person that I don't have to be anything for, I just get to be me," I tried to explain, but I could see that he didn't understand. "Sirius, in so many places in my life, I have to be the smart one, or the kind one, or the organized one, or the caring one. Even with you, I am often having to remind myself to be the patient one; but with Remus, I don't have to be anything. He doesn't expect anything from me. He actually likes...me," It told him quietly, but I knew I hadn't explained it. It wasn't just his leaving that had me upset. "I can't believe he's going to leave, for God alone knows how long."

"Love, you have to know that he'll be okay. Albus wouldn't send him if he didn't think he'd survive," Sirius said, trying to comfort me, but I wasn't sure.

"I don't know that Sirius. I don't know that Albus wouldn't send one of us out to certain death. I don't know that he wouldn't sacrifice one of us for his higher ideals. He's so damned committed to the cause, that I don't think he remembers what its like to live and love," I rambled. _It was all happening again. We were headed back into war, and the people that I loved would be put into danger. It was a miracle that we had made it out of the last war in one piece, I wasn't sure that it would happen again. I had just lost Amelia, I couldn't loose someone I was even closer to. I didn't want to weep for someone that I had lost, or be forced to live the rest of my life wondering, "what would they be doing now?" I couldn't even bear the thought that I could lose my dear, beloved husband or one of my children. I wouldn't do it..._ I scrambled over and climbed onto my husbands lap, my thighs straddling him. I put my hands on his face and held him to look at me. I was shaking again, and the tears had re-started in earnest.

"Take us away, you and me and the children, let's just leave. There are so many places we could go, and we could raise our babies away from this. I don't care about the house or anything, I just need us to be safe. I nearly lost you, I wouldn't survive if I did. I can't even form the thought of losing one of our children," I told him, collapsing onto him. His arms wove around me, and he just held me, his lips on my forehead. I wept, and wept.

"Love, oh my sweet love, if I thought that it would help, I would take you away right now. We have a home, a home very far away from here, and we could go, but it wouldn't help. None of us will be safe until Voldemort is gone for good." He was being so rational, I only made me angrier.

"Don't say that, we don't have to fight again," I said pulling back and looking at him. "We don't owe anyone, anything," I said as I slammed my open hands onto his chest. "Take me away, make it stop, please. I can't do it, not again," I begged. I looked long and hard into my husbands face, and there was no anger there, no misunderstanding, only love. I felt like I would suffocate in it.

"How is it that you still haven't learned that you don't have to do this alone?"

I just looked at him. _What had he just said? _

"Anwen, stop being so strong. Stop trying to bear it all yourself. If I actually thought that I could keep you away from the ghosts that are haunting you, I would take you away. I bought two houses, one in a very secluded forest here in Scotland; and another in India. I did it shortly after Voldemort returned last year. If I really thought that you would be able to give all of this up, break our ties, I would take us there tomorrow. But I know you better than that," he spoke so gently, so calmly. _This is him, this is the man that I had come to trust and to hide in his love. This is the person that I fought to bring back. When had he come back._

"You wouldn't ever let someone stand in your place, your high ideals wouldn't stand for it. That's one of the things that I love about you. You're so damned determined to make the world a better place. I could take you away, and for a while you'd be happy, but eventually, you'd need to be back here, doing the right thing. I think that's why you're so upset at Albus right now, because the two of you are so much alike. You both believe in the power of good over evil." I opened my mouth to protest. "But there is a difference," he silenced me. "You're not afraid of living, Albus isn't afraid of dying. It puts the two of you at odds."

I stared at him. This was an unexpected turn of events between us. I was being the impetuous emotional one, and Sirius was being calm and level headed. "When did you get so perceptive?"

"Winnie, I've had to try and re-learn everything. I've had the rare opportunity to get to re-discover my own life, and the people in it. Its been amazing to remember who I was, and then see who I am and try and trace the steps I took to get from there to here. Anwen, I was a lazy, goof off of a kid. Didn't really care about school, did things just to piss people off and get in trouble. I went out of the way to make my family embarrassed of me, and now, I have a life I'm proud of. I'm a father of four amazing children. I have a business, which James says is growing like crazy; we do good things, and help people who might be left otherwise defenseless. I'm a responsible member of the Wizengamot, and the Council of Thirteen. And I'm married to you, one of the most powerful and respected witches in all of England." I turned my eyes down at this statement. "Don't, don't you dare sell yourself short. Everyone who comes in contact with you, their lives are changed because of you. I've spent these last weeks trying to figure out why in the world you would want to be with me, why you married me. Then something came to me," he said, and I looked back up at him. "You forced me to become the man I am, so that I would feel worthy enough to be married to you." I started to shake my head at him, but he moved his hands to my face. "It's a good thing, Winnie. I'd probably have run off, half cocked and gotten myself into trouble, or jail, or dead for that matter if it weren't for you. Please, let me be the man I know I can be, let me be your strength for a while."

I stared at him, not sure what to say, so I let my fingers trail along his face. I pulled the hair away from his eyes, and hooked the long strands behind his ears. I loved the feel of his stubble under my fingers, the way his whiskers were rough, but the skin underneath was so smooth. I felt the fine lines that formed near the sides of his eyes, where his laughter had worn a permanent crease into his face, and the sides of his mouth where he wore a set of parenthesis to frame his perfect smile. It was his eyes that spoke to me though. The depths of them had always awed me, but now, very deep down, they humbled me as well. I took a shockingly deep and surprising breath into my lungs.

"I was sure that you were gone," I whispered, recognizing the man that was looking back at me. Sirius pulled my head to his chest, and held me hard and fast to him. "Oh, my Winnie, my sweet, sweet Winnie."

We lay there, listening to the crickets and bullfrogs singing their nighttime symphony. "Forgive me," I asked, when there was a lull in the natural cacophony around us.

"There's nothing to forgive," he responded, "but you need to tell me the rest. I know you've been keeping things from me."

"Alright," I responded and the words began spilling out of me. I told him the stories that I had been avoiding, good and bad. I told him about our wedding, and the overpowering emotions that it brought up. I told him of our tangle with the media, and why I hated celebrity so very much. I told him what we had learned about his family, and how hard he had tried to make reparations for his grandfather's actions. I talked about the babies that we had lost, and how it had nearly broken my spirit. I explained the work that I did after the first war, with the victims of torture and abuse. I filled him in on the prophecy, and what exactly it would entail; and then I told him about Albus' plan, and why it made me so very angry. By the time we were done, there was nearly nothing left to hide from him, I had laid everything bare at my husband's feet, and he was still there, as strong and steady as ever. The only thing we didn't discuss, I would leave to his discretion.

"Do you want to know about the night in the Department of Mysteries?" I asked him. We had shifted around, so that I was sitting sideways in his lap, my head resting on his shoulder, my nose resting against the bones of his jaw.

"Not yet. I'm not ready. I don't know that I want to remember, anyway. This way, I don't have any nightmares, I'm sure that I will once you tell me. It seems to wake you up often enough," he told me quietly.

"I didn't realize that you knew I was having problems sleeping."

"Winnie, you get up nearly every night and pace around the second floor of the Manor. As soon as you would slide away from me, I wake up. Lily knows too. We've both been worried about you."

I rested there, content to be in his arms, thinking about what he had just said. I hadn't actually succeeded in hiding anything from him, just creating more worry. As the sun began to rise, we could make out the faint wisps of steam rising up from the pond, and for the first time in hours, we recognized that we were outside, and that we had spent the entire night awake and talking.

"I think that I might be in trouble here, I kept you up and out of the house all night," he teased. "I hope that no one stayed awake waiting for you?"

"It will be fine," I assured him. "My husband is a very understanding fellow."

"And my wife is a very generous woman," he told me, bringing his lips to mine, gently and sweetly kissing me. "Come on, let's get back. After we've gotten cleaned up and eaten something, I think that we need to talk with the family again; and then we are going to plan on going away, at least for a little while." I went to protest. "I'm not taking no for an answer here. You need to get away, you were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I'd prefer you not get back to that place again," he told me, and I relented.

We stood up, and straightened our clothes from our night long respite in the grass. As we started walking back to the house, a question came to me.

"Why did you come out here in your Animagus form?"

"Well, I couldn't see you or hear you, but when I'm a dog, I can smell you," he admitted and when I figured out the implications of what he was saying, my stomach lurched.

"You were tracking me. That's so gross," I told him, the bile filling the back of my throat. "What do I smell like?" He didn't answer right away. _Oh, this should be good._

"Anwen, you smell like sex to me." My stomach most definitely lurched again. "At least I like the way you smell, it would be worse if we were married, and you smelled like something I hated. Can you imagine how repulsive it would be if you smelled like cabbage or onions or old fish? It's only you though, Lily and Tonks don't smell that way at all; although Moony says that he does recognize the smell," he told me, and I wanted to crawl in a hole and die right there. _My husband and my best friend were discussing the way I smell. That's just so gross._

"Please, drop this subject, now. I don't think I can talk about it any more," I told him, and we walked the rest of the way back to the Manor in silence. The house was still quiet when we got back, and we went upstairs, checked on the children and then showered and dressed for the day. I longed to lay down, but I knew that if I fell asleep, I wouldn't want to wake up, and I had some apologizing to do.

I was surprised at how forgiving everyone was, I had been rather bratty the last few weeks: short tempered and sharp tongued. My family had apparently been waiting for me to break, and they were glad that it was simply among them and that none of the kids were involved. It was agreed that Sirius and I would leave with the children immediately, and head to the secluded, yet rustic, home that he had bought for us. He wasn't telling anyone where it was, not even his friends. We would have absolute privacy there; if we were needed, we could be reached via patronus. We could be back at the Manor as quickly as we could apparate. Sirius and I would come back every few days to work with Harry and the kids on their special studies, and to let the little children play with each other, but otherwise, we would be out of communication, which we all decided was for the best. We would come back for the kids' last weekend before the fall term, and to celebrate Hermione's birthday; and to determine our fall plans.

Everyone excused us, and Remus and I were alone in the study. I couldn't look at him. "I owe you an apology."

"No, you don't."

"I called you a bastard, yes, I do."

"Fine, I accept your apology. Are you okay now?"

"Yes, no, maybe? I don't think that I'm as close to the precipice as I was, but it's still so hard to take in. I can't believe that I went through that veil, and brought him back. What the hell was I thinking? I'm a mother, who would have taken care of our children?"

"Anwen, that's hindsight talking, at the time you did what you had to do, because you are so in love with him. Don't you see, you did what you had to do. You did what only you could do," he told me, taking my hand. _ I didn't want to hear this, not from him._

"Why do you have to be so damned honorable?" I asked him, and he chuckled at me.

"It's something that I learned from a friend. I told him I would only go for three cycles, if by then I haven't made any headway, I'm coming back, and getting married, and I won't go again." I shook my head at him.

"You're stopping the Wolfsbane, aren't you?"

"I have to Anwen, I have to live the way they do," he was so calm about it. A single tear left my eye and slid down my cheek.

"But its so horrible for you. You gnaw at yourself and who will heal your cuts and bruises? Who's going to sing to you as you change back in the morning, and help you drink down your water and tea?"

"It's only three months. I'll be fine. I'll get word to you when I can, or I'll send it through Tonks. Please don't worry. I have to do this. I have to try and keep other children from going through what I did." I hated it when he was reasonable. "If this were to happen to John or Evan or any of the kids, and I knew that I could stop it, I would never forgive myself," he told me, and it made my heart melt to think that my little boy was one of his primary concerns. "I'll stick around until after this month's change, and for the party, and then when the kids head off to school, I'll go and seek out my own kind."

"No, we're your kind," I reprimanded him, squeezing his hand for emphasis. "We are your family, and we love you regardless of how much noise and fury you make one night of the month. How am I going to get through three months without talking to you?"

"The same way that I will get through the time without talking with you. Come on, you must be exhausted, go and get some sleep. Sirius wants to take care of you for a while, let him. He's not as weak as you think." I nodded at him.

"I know. But if he's strong, that means that I have to be vulnerable, and we all know how I hate that."

"Yes, God forbid you'd need someone, Anwen," he told me, shaking his head at me. "Promise me you'll be safe?" he asked, and I looked into his face, to see the worry there.

"Only if you promise me the same." I told him as I hugged him tightly.

**Ginny POV:**

_That has to be one of the oddest birthday parties that I was ever at. It was nice and all, and Hermione seemed to enjoy herself, but everyone was acting all strange. Tonks looked like she would burst out into tears at any moment, and Uncle Remus seemed like he wanted to savor it, like he does with Mum's apple pie. Uncle Sirius and Aunt Winnie were huddled together, looking like newlyweds rather than the old married couple that they are, and they were really vague when we asked when we would see either of them up at Hogwarts. And then there was Harry. He kept looking at me, and then turning red when I would wave back._

I was carrying Arnold on my shoulder as we made our way to Platform 9 ¾. I loved the first day of school, and I loved that I would be finding Dean on the train to school. _My lips are all tingly at the thought. Granted, he can be a little pushy and overprotective, but he's a better boyfriend than my last one. Still, what's going on with Harry, he' acting, well, he's acting a little like I used to act around him. Hmm, need to talk with Hermione about that one._

We had come early, trying to get onto the train before other people got here. I saw Harry talking with his Dad, Uncle Sirius and my Dad about something, whatever it was, it must have been important because their heads are close together, and they were ignoring all of their little boys who were standing with them, figuring out how to get into trouble. _They have no idea how much work those three are going to be as they grow up._ Mum was making sure that Ron had everything. _Seriously, he's never going to grow up if she keeps babying him that way. Really, I mean, who makes it to their sixth year without ever even having a date. I'd done more snogging by the time I was thirteen than he's done at half way to seventeen. Maybe I should talk to Bill about getting Mum to leave Ron alone a little._

Aunt Winnie and Mrs. Potter, Lily, _I don't feel comfortable calling her by her first name, although she really wants me to, _ were talking with Hermione, I walked over toward them.

"Honestly, I can't thank you enough for the birthday presents. I've never had a real string of pearls before, thank you so much Mrs. Potter," Hermione said.

"Call me Lily, you're much too old to be calling me Mrs. Potter, and I'm glad that you like them. They're something beautiful for a beautiful girl to wear," she told Hermione, and it made me happy to know that someone as nice was being treated well.

"Aunt Winnie, what you and Uncle Sirius gave me, it's too much. The hair clips are lovely, but the book, its so rare and old..." she started but Aunt Winnie stopped her.

"You are the only other person I know who would appreciate a hand written copy of Le Mot in the original French. I was so excited when I found it. You'll find it so much better than the guide that they have for you at school. If you get stuck on the French translations, you can talk with Harry. He may not act like it, but he's fluent in French. I think that he just gets tongue tied around Fleur," she joked, and we all laughed.

"Come on, we need to be getting on the train," I told Hermione, and she nodded, hugging both of the women and the little girls who were standing with them. I would really miss Emma, Lilyan and Jamie. It was like I had little sisters. I couldn't wait to go to Hogsmeade and get them some Christmas presents, and to see them all at the first Gryffindor Quidditch match this fall. Hermione picked up Crookshanks' basket, and we headed off toward the train. As we passed the final archway, partially hidden in the shadows, we saw Uncle Remus and Tonks. Tonks had him pressed up against the wall, kissing him fiercely. Hermione and I looked at each other, and started giggling.

"Guess being engaged makes public displays of affection more appropriate," I said loud enough that I was sure that they could hear, but I didn't stick around to confirm it.


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note: Hi, another chapter, this one has a rather large jump in time, what exactly was going on during the time will be revealed later. Songs for this chapter: "Dona Nobis Pachem" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It" by U2. Thanks to everyone for reading, and I don't own these characters, I just like to play with them. Mutt**

**Chapter 39:**

**Home again**

**Lily POV:**

"Mummy, are they here yet?" Evan yelled at me as he ran into the kitchen.

"Does it look like they're here yet? Soon, your Aunt, Uncle and your cousins will be here soon. You have to calm down Evan," I tried to get him to relax, but he was far too excited for that to happen. Sirius, Anwen and the children had left Great Britain the day after the Hogwarts kids had left, and they had been gone for three months. They were only returning home now, because they wanted to celebrate the holidays at home with us, and to be here for the birth of our baby.

"But Mummy, I haven't seen Ethan in so long. He left right after Harry left, and I've only had Emma to play with without him," he complained. I wasn't really surprised that we would miss our friends, what did shock me was the extent to which we had. I knelt down to look at my son in the face.

"Your pacing around and getting anxious isn't going to bring them here any sooner. They will be here, now, why don't you go and say hello to the rest of our guests," I told him, sending him out into the lounge so that he could talk with the others. _At least they chose to come home on a Sunday. Gives us the whole day to spend together. _ Tonks was here, but that was nothing new, she had taken to nearly living here. Her worry about Remus had almost overtaken her, and it was affecting her work and her sleep. The third moon cycle had passed, and he had promised us that he would be coming home after it. We were all quite anxious to see him.

Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Charlie and Eira were all here. Eira had seen her sister, and through their mother, had better contact with her than we had. It wasn't that they were avoiding us, the opposite was quite true. We had gotten regular owls from them, and presents, but both Anwen and Sirius were quite guarded when they were in contact. We often didn't know where they were. Eira had seen them when she had traveled to Canada to visit their family. It was good to see the Weasleys as well, we didn't really get together with folks much this fall, it was safer to stay inside. I had invited the twins over as well, and we were awaiting their arrival. _I hope that they don't bring any gifts for the kids this time._

Kingsley had come over after work. When he wasn't at the Ministry, he was at Grimmauld Place. Amelia's death had hit him hard, and he had engulfed himself in work and the Order. Minerva and Albus were here as well, and they had brought Harry, Ginny and Hermione with them. Apparently Ron had a new girlfriend, and she was consuming all of his time. Ginny didn't have anything nice to say about it, and Harry told me that he'd talk about it at Christmas, when Hermione wasn't with us. I couldn't help but notice that my oldest son and Ginny were still doing their silly dance.

"Lily dear, are you sure that you don't need some help in here?" Molly came in, asking if she could assist me.

"Dinner is nearly ready, all we need to do is let it cook. The appetizers are ready when everyone gets here. I can't for the life of me think what's keeping them." Anwen had fire called from their hidden home, and told me that they would be here at 1:00 sharp. It was now 1:15. I was surprised from my stupor when the doorbell rang. I heard Evan and Emma's footsteps in the front hall, and I knew that they had already beaten me to the door. _Who would have gotten through the wards?_

"Why are you coming in the front door?" my husband bellowed, grasping his best friend and pulling him into a fierce hug.

"We drove over, and we'd have been here sooner, if Winnie had let me drive," he said with a happiness and carefree sense in his voice that had been missing since before their departure.

"Yes, well, I'm not the one who let my license lapse, am I?" she said, gently kissing him on the cheek while she ushered in their children. Our eyes met, and she broke into one of those face engulfing smiles that we all knew so well. "Look at you, you're as big as a house," she said to me, coming and putting her arms around me. It was true, I was huge this time. It was harder being pregnant when you're older.

"Look at you, you cut off all of your hair," I told her. I couldn't believe it, Anwen had always had long hair. Even when she cut it in the '80's it was still longer, and now, I don't think that there was a spot on her head that was more than an a few inches long.

"It'll grow back," she said in a non committal way, and I knew that I wasn't going to get more information now. They all came in, and took their cloaks off. The children went running off, except for Jamie, who clung to her mother's skirt. Anwen picked her up and held her close. "Jamie honey, you can go and play. I'm sure that Ethan and Emma have missed you," she told the toddler, but the little blond just laid her head on her mother's shoulder. "She'll come around. I don't know where she got the shy gene from," Anwen said, but Sirius wrapped an arm around her and whispered in her ear, "I seem to remember a first year who used to hide behind her hair."

Everyone greeted the pair, and we moved into the lounge, where we had the appetizers. Molly and Tonks helped me get things out, since bending and carrying had gotten difficult. Anwen and Sirius were sitting on the love seat, Jamie was sitting between them, playing with her daddy's wedding ring. Every once in a while, Sirius would lightly kiss Anwen, or she would lay her head on his shoulder. I sometimes envied the closeness, but then I reminded myself that they were so close now for an absolutely horrible reason.

"You're still not going to tell us where this mysterious house of yours is?" Harry asked his godfather, and Sirius just shook his head at us.

"Tomorrow we're going to set the floo up between this house, that one and Grimmauld, and your Dad is going to help me blood ward it, then, maybe, I'll let you know. Before that, the only others who know where it is are the goblins who take care of my accounts."

"So, sis, where have you been? The last time I saw you was at Thanksgiving Dinner at Ma and Da's," Eira asked her, and Anwen smiled at her.

"We stayed in Canada for a few weeks, went to your old school and did a few lectures for the International History classes. Your history lessons are far superior to what our kids have," she explained, looking over at Minerva and Albus, who nodded. "Then we went and did some touring in America. We came back to Europe a few weeks ago, took the kids to Madrid and then to Paris and then we came back to Scotland. We're going back to Grimmauld tonight, and it will be the first time that we will have slept there in 5 months."

"Hopefully Kreacher has kept the place up," Sirius teased and Kingsley quickly piped up.

"He has. I go up and check your rooms a few times a week, and they're clean and in order," he told them. Anwen's former partner was one of the few people outside of the family who could get up onto the third and fourth floors of Grimmauld.

"We have lots of gifts out in the car for everyone. What time are we eating, Lils?" Anwen asked me.

"I thought that we could eat at 4. It will give the Hogwarts folks time to get back, kids can get their homework done." She nodded, also understanding that it would give us time to talk once everyone else was gone.

Conversation flowed easily. Ginny had excused herself, and had gone to see Emma and Lilyan, and then came back in and I watched as she knelt down in front of Jamie and talked with her. Within a few minutes, the little girl had thrown her arms around the older girl's neck, and they left the room. Harry was in a deep discussion with his father and Arthur, and I hoped that it wasn't about this idea he had that Draco was a Death Eater. The only person who seemed to listen to him, and take it seriously, was Sirius. I hoped that he wouldn't fuel this silly idea that Harry had latched onto. Hermione had come to sit next to Anwen, and they were discussing Rune translations.

"The new book has made the classes so much easier, thank you so much," Hermione was gushing.

"I'm glad that it helped. I'm a little worried about my NEWT score however. You only missed my OWL score by two points. With that book, you might take away my record," the older woman teased, and the student blushed. "You would have loved the library that I was at when I was in Tibet. They do runic translations in a much more organic way there, and it was fascinating. In fact, I brought something back for you. Hold on," Anwen said, and then she waved her hand at a empty table on the far side of the room, and the bags of gifts materialized there. She got up and dug through one of them, and then found a scroll and brought it back to Hermione. "You'll find this fascinating. It's a Tibetan translation guide, and I couldn't believe how close our Runes and the eastern ones are."

"Aunt Winnie, Uncle Sirius, this is..." the young woman gushed as she unrolled the parchment. "Thank you so much." Anwen touched Hermione's head lightly, and smiled. _I forgot just how nurturing Anwen can be. I have really missed her._

"You're more than welcome. Now, how about if we give the rest of these things out?" she said, and Sirius nodded with her. They had been gone for so long, and had been so many places that there were gifts from all over the world. Not long after, we started dinner and as we were finishing dessert, I noticed that Albus and Anwen had gotten up and started walking out. _That is a conversation that I don't envy._

**Anwen POV:**

Albus and I walked outside of the house, and we both quickly cast warming charms on ourselves. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, but I knew that I needed to break it.

"Albus, I apologize for the way that I was acting before I left. I was rather rude and insensitive. I could make excuses about everything that was going on, but in the end, I behaved poorly," I told him calmly, but before he could say anything I began speaking again. "That being said, I still don't agree with your plan for Harry. I learned a great many things while I was away, and I believe more firmly than ever that there is another way."

"Anwen, thank you for your apology, but you didn't need to. I knew that you were in crisis, and I do hope that you're right about Harry." I stopped walking and stood and looked at him. "Child, did you really think that after so many years of being near you, I couldn't see what was happening to you? What you did was unheard of, an unprecedented act of love; I would have been shocked if there weren't some ramifications of your actions. Things seem to be better, both with your soul and with your relationship with Sirius." A lump had formed in my throat while he was speaking, and I was just standing there staring at him, my mouth gaping.

"They are. It took a while. Once we were away from everyone, we realized that we had been moving around each other, but not really dealing with each other. The power had shifted as well, I had so much more than he did, because I remembered everything. If it had gone on much longer, I would have turned into quite a harpy and he would have just shrunk into nothing. I still don't understand it all Albus. I think back, and I never hesitated in my choice, but now, it terrifies me. I should think that I will spend the rest of my life trying to understand the depths of my love for him."

"I don't think that you will be the only ones. I have seen many people in love, but you and Sirius, it is something truly remarkable. Most people never come close to that kind of love," he told me, quietly. He looked so sad as he said it. I had felt any number of things for and towards Albus over the years, but right now, it was something new. Pity.

"Who hurt you? Who shattered you so badly that you never even tried again?" He looked at me in a horrified way, as if I had told him that there was spinach on his teeth, and he was standing up in front of a room full of people; only 100 times worse.

"It was a very, very long time ago. I had given away my heart, and I thought that I had gotten one in return; but I was just being used. A means to an end," he stopped talking, and almost looked overtaken by his emotions. "At my worst moments, my fear is that I am doing exactly what was done to me. Thank you for reminding me that my humanity is still intact." I looked away and blushed. _After all of these years, I was still surprised that he could make me feel embarrassed and unsure of myself._

We talked about the progress I had made on a "cure" for Harry, and I was relieved when Albus seemed to agree with me. We talked a little about what had happened this fall at Hogwarts, and he was surprised I knew as much as I did. _Just because we were out of the country, doesn't mean that we were out of touch._ We also discussed the way Ewan was treating his curse infection. It seemed to remain well contained. Conversation finally turned to what Sirius and I had been doing while we were away.

"We have support in Italy, Germany and Tibet. I brought back a great deal of information from the Tibetans about the destruction of 'fractured soul' as they call it. When all this is over, I very much would like to go back and study eastern magics. They have a term for Sirius and me as well, we're called a "divided soul'; one soul, housed in two people. It was actually really fascinating to learn about it. Like nature conspired to make us, so that we could share this life together. I'm sure that I'm not doing it justice, but it helped give me closure about what had happened," I paused, I didn't want to tell him more.

"There is help in Canada, and some from the United States as well. The French Ministry is waiting for our word, and they will be with us as well. Did you know that they pulled their diplomatic unit?" I asked and he shook his head at me. "Apparently our new Minister isn't doing much of a job rebuilding broken relationships. Isolationism will only give Voldemort more ammunition," I said, shaking my head. "We also made contacts in several eastern European areas. Sirius' family lineage still carries some weight there, and when we need to, we will have help. There was no word about where Ollivander is however."

"I'm not convinced that he has left England," he told me, and I agreed. "Well, we should be getting inside, I believe that I should be getting the students back to school, and I do have some rather pressing work that needs to be attended to." With that, Albus turned on his heel and started back toward the house.

"Sir, I have one question or maybe it's more of a concern. I think I know why you are letting Severus teach Defense this year, and I'm not going to debate the logic of your choice, but do please consider this: he's still a person. You have a remarkable hold over him, I don't know what it is, but it's there. Try not to use him as a pawn in your game with Voldemort. No one should have their life played with in that way." When I finished speaking my piece, I started walking again. Albus didn't follow along rapidly, but before we reached the door, he was by my side, and a pleasant look was on his face.

**Sirius POV:**

I watched as Anwen and Albus came back in. She didn't need to say anything to me, she simply sent me a feeling of calm and let her eyelids gently close and open again to tell me that she had made her point. I immediately felt at peace when she settled down next to me, and laced her fingers in mine. We watched as most of the guests left, leaving only our family and Eira behind. Anwen and Eira had their heads together.

"No, I think it's a great idea. Call Liddy in the morning, I know that she and Stephen would want to be involved. And don't worry about the money," she said to her sister.

"Yeah, yeah, we're not all independently wealthy. I wish I could go and travel around the world with my family," she said in a snobby voice. Anwen was chuckling at her sister.

"Go home, I'll be by to see you later this week," and with that Eira rose, hugged her sister and flooed to the Farm. Anwen turned and was looking at Tonks. "Any word at all?"

"He got me a message a few weeks ago, telling me that it wasn't going well. He expected to be back after the last full moon, but that was 3 days ago. I just wish I knew if he were okay. Something tells me that he's not," she said, her eyes once again filling with tears.

"Listen to me, there is nothing in this world that he wants more than to be with you. He will find his way back," she told her, and Tonks tried to smile. "I know how hard it is to be the one waiting, wondering when the one you love will come back to you. Faith, you have to have faith my friend."

"I think I'm going to go upstairs and have a bath. Maybe it will help me relax," she said as she got up to leave. The children had all gone up to the second floor playroom, and Lily laid a mirror down on the table and touched it with her wand. Immediately, we saw a picture of our six young children playing upstairs.

"You have to tell me how you did that," Anwen said, looking very impressed.

"I've already made you a set. I'll get them for you before you leave," James told her, and my wife beamed at him. "So, now will you tell me where this house of yours is?" I looked at Anwen, and she nodded. _We had always planned on telling James and Lily. Part of the reason I bought the house I did was so that they could be close._

"It's actually about twenty-five miles from here, outside of Broadforth. I bought it because we can use the car and drive between the houses if needed. If I had driven here, we'd have been here in thirty minutes. With Anwen driving, it was forty-five," I teased her.

"Yes, well, getting caught without a license or any valid identification would be quite awful there dear. I can't wait for you to see the place. He told me it was a 'rustic cottage' , but I don't know in whose world an eleven bedroom estate constitutes such. It's called _Ban Garadh_, which translates to _Fair Garden_, and the name is perfect. From the upper floors, you can even see the Inner Sound. I don't relish the winters here, but the home is lovely. It's funny, when you approach it, it appears completely derelict and abandoned. It's only once you cross the wards that you see just how lovely it is," she told me, gently caressing my hand.

"I'd like to get it as strongly warded as possible, as soon as possible. We know what's been going on here, " I told James, and he concurred. We talked for a while longer about places that we had been, things we'd seen, and the new safe house that I had purchased in India, just outside of Shimla. It was in a quite remote region, frequented by enough tourists that we wouldn't look out of place, but far enough out that news of an English family having a home there wouldn't really travel.

"It was pleasant enough, and the landscape is lovely, it just didn't feel like home. I'm hopeful that we won't ever actually have to use it as our permanent residence," Anwen said. _ I do too love, I do too._ By the time that we were done for the evening, it was late, and we flooed from the Manor to Grimmauld, leaving our car there for the night. The children were funny as they exited the floo on the lowest level of their home. Lilyan and Ethan ran off, remembering their rooms and the murals on the wall there, but the younger two just hung back. I suspected that John and Jamie had no memory of being there. Jamie immediately clung to Anwen, and John grabbed my hand.

"It's alright. We're home. Mummy and Daddy are right here. Come on, let's go and see your rooms," she told the trembling toddlers, and we started up the stairs.

**Anwen POV:**

Sirius had headed back to Scotland this morning, to make sure that _Ban Garadh_ was secured for the winter. The winds were brutal as they whipped up the shoreline, and battered the front of the house. We had all lived through the winters in the Scottish Highlands while we at school, but both Hogwarts and the Manor were better protected than our home. Since we had somewhere else to live, we had decided that we would winter in London this year, and then when spring came, move back to Scotland. It was a rare event, at the moment there was no one here from the Order. I expected King, Molly and Arthur for dinner later; and Ewan and Anelle were living here now, but they had left to do some holiday shopping. I was in the kitchen cleaning up the lunch dishes and putting on the roast we would be having for dinner. _While we were away, we enjoyed some amazing foods, but Sirius missed his large hunks of roasted meat._ I had just finished when I heard the front door chime, and headed up one flight to get the door. The sight that greeted me was shocking.

"Remus, what happened?" I asked my disheveled friend as I pulled him in the door. His clothes were hanging from him in tatters and he looked like he had been starving. I got him into the dining room, and immediately summoned some blankets from the linen closet and put a warming spell on him.

"Had a hard time getting away," he chattered at me. "Anwen, they wouldn't listen..." he was shaking from the cold, and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Kreacher, Kreacher, please come here," I called our house elf. I appreciated that he had cared for the house in our absence, but he was not thrilled when we returned home. I had been avoiding him, preferring to handle household chores on my own. A loud pop announced his arrival.

"What does Mistress want?" he droned at me.

"Please get some hot tea and soup for Mr. Lupin, and then go and draw a bath on the second floor bathtub. Will you also bring my potions box upstairs, please? That will be all." I reminded myself to be as polite as possible with him, hoping that one day kindness would break his angry spirit. He departed from us without another word. I started helping him take off the tatters of his cloak, and saw his body underneath. He was covered in welts and scars. I gasped at the sight of them.

"Anwen, there's a lot of in fighting on the nights of the full moon in the pack. They'll heal," he told me, and I wanted to cry and vomit. I convinced my body to do neither.

"I'm going to fire call the Manor. Tonks has been staying there. She'll be so glad to see you," I told him, making to leave, but he stopped me by grabbing my hand.

"Don't, not yet," he asked me, his eyes pleading. I relented, against my better judgment. "At least let me get Sirius back here. I can't get you up to the loo on my own," I told him and he nodded at that idea. I quickly sent my husband a patronus, just as Kreacher came back in with the requested food, and my kit. I started healing the worst of the wounds, at least getting them cleaned out, while Remus gently sipped his tea and ate the onion soup that was left over from lunch. I heard Sirius enter on the floor below, and bound up the stairs.

"Anwen, what's the emergency. It isn't the..." he stopped when he reached the dining room and saw Remus sitting with me. I shook my head at him, and then apologized with my eyes. I knew that he would have been worried, but I wasn't sure if he was alone when I contacted him, so my message was vague. "Moony, what the hell happened?" he said, coming and kneeling next to his life long friend.

"Angry werewolf pack," the meeker of the two stated, and we both shook our heads. I continued to work, but it quickly became apparent that I would need more supplies than I had in my small potions kit. I looked at Sirius, waiting for us to make eye contact.

"Love, can you go and get some Murtlap essence and a blood strengthening potion from the supplies downstairs? I know that Ewan keeps them in constant supply here," Sirius nodded and went off. I watched as Remus finished the lunch. "Do you want more?"

"I'm not sure that I could stomach it right now. I haven't had a bite to eat in over a week. Anwen, it was worse than I could have imagined. Most of them are too far gone, Voldemort is making promises..." he trailed off, and I was sure that he was remembering something horrid.

"It's alright. You did your best, and now you're home. We'll take care of you," I told him, cradling his head to my chest. Sirius came back in, and he could tell that I was heartbroken at the state of our friend. He sent me a wave of love that bolstered me some. I smiled at him and mouthed, 'I love you'. "Kreacher was drawing a bath, why don't you go and help him get into it, and pour this in," I said, removing the vial of skin revitalizing potion from my kit and handing it to Sirius. I'm going to find you something to change into, and leave it outside the bathroom door. Then we'll get you settled into one of the guest rooms," I told the two of them, and Sirius came over, and quickly apparated the two of them to the bathroom.

A few hours later, Sirius had once again left, to finish his work at our other home, and Remus and I were sitting in the guest room. I was watching Lilyan and Ethan on the mirror James had made for me, as they played in the ballroom/playroom. Jamie had her doll and was sitting on my lap while John was very happy to be sitting on the bed with his godfather. He had just finished off another bowl of soup, and John was munching away on the remnants of the bread that was brought up with it.

"You're looking much better now. Can I please call Tonks? She's barely able to function since you've been gone. James and Lily are very worried about her."

"Anwen, I'm not sure that is such a good idea. The time away, being with my kind." I glared at him when he referenced himself as a werewolf. "Fine, with others like me," I still glared, but at least it wasn't quite as bad. "She deserves better. She deserves more."

"You idiot. It doesn't matter what you think, you're what she wants. She loves you completely. You are underestimating your love and hers," I told him, getting frustrated that we were back here. "Hey, why don't you two go and play with your sister and brother. They're down in the playroom. Daddy will be home soon, and Grand Molly and Pop Pop are coming for dinner." The twins looked at me happily, and John scooted off the bed, and took Jamie by the hand. I tapped them on the head, and then watched in the mirror as they appeared in the playroom with their siblings. I turned back to look at Remus.

"I need to tell you about something that happened while we were in France. Remus, we didn't come back so that we could spend Christmas with the family. It's nice enough that we will, but Sirius and I weren't quite finished with some of the things that we needed to do while we were away." I stopped and took a deep breath. I wasn't ready to share everything, not just yet. "Remus, I had a vision, or a dream, or something. At first, I was willing to write it off as a bad reaction to the wine I had with dinner or something, but when I got up the next morning, Sirius had experienced the same thing. You need to hear about it, because it affects us all."

"Tell me," he beckoned me to continue.

"It started off with a little boy. The boy looked exactly like the picture of Sirius, the one where he's with James, when they were like 8. He stood there looking at me, and then he said: 'Hello Mummy and Daddy, we haven't met yet, but we will soon.' It was a little creepy. Then Perenelle walked up, and she told me how proud she was of me, and how well I had done with everything. Then things got really strange. They were standing in the meadow outside of our new home, and she told me that I had garnered favor with the ones that she was with, that my actions last spring, in saving Sirius, had made me an honored being in her world. She went on to tell me that one day, when it felt like all was lost, that they would be with us to help us."

"Then, as if this couldn't get weirder, she told me that hardship and heartbreak would be coming to us all, and that it would feel like we were drowning in sorrow, but to help us, they were sending us gifts. She told me that, exact words here, 'Before the Moon cycles for the eighteenth time, each of the protectors would bring to the world a child with their mate. They are born to remind us that there is always hope.' end of the quote. Perenelle then took the child by the hand and they walked off into the mist. I woke up with a start, and I was sure that it was just that we had been to Perenelle's grave, but when Sirius then woke up, and we'd had the same dream, I decided that maybe it wasn't a dream. I found out two days later that I was pregnant again. James and Lily are already due, we're having another baby in August; if Perenelle is right, then you're going to have a baby with Tonks by the end of April 1998."

"Anwen," he started, and then he stopped. "Why would I ruin her life that way?"

"I doubt that she would see it that way. Remus, don't be dumb here, she loves you, she wants to spend her life with you. None of us are assured anything, not even how long our lives will be. Love is the only constant. We've been over this, and over this. Let her love you," I said, and before he could protest, I let my patronus go. I don't think that it was 5 minutes before I heard her tripping up the stairs, trying to get to him. "Let her love you," I begged my friend as she burst into the room. I excused myself, reminding them that my children were in the house, and that dinner would be in an hour. I walked out and closed the door.

Christmas was a crazy affair. Lily wanted to open gifts at home in the morning, since she had such a hard time getting moving; but she didn't want to cook, because she was having a hard time spending too many hours on her feet. Molly wanted to cook, but everyone couldn't fit at her house. I didn't care, I just wanted to be with my husband and children. We ended up moving from house to house throughout the day. The morning sickness was bearable this time, but I still avoided most of the food at Lily's early in the day. We were avoiding telling people, at least for a few more weeks. This time I wasn't scared of miscarrying, I think the vision had quelled that fear, we just didn't want to overshadow James and Lily's new child. Remus was the only one who knew.

We had everyone over to our house next, and I was thankful for our house elf for the first time in years. The Weasleys had late dinner at their home, along with Harry and Remus. Tonks chose to stay close to us, I got the feeling that Remus was once again trying to push her away. Thankfully, she has that wonderful Black stubborn streak.

A week after the kids went back to Hogwarts, I was at the Manor with Lily. We were going through some baby things, trying to sort out what she could use for the new one, and what we would just be putting away. Neither of us knew who had originally purchased what anymore. The twins were down napping, and Eira had taken the four oldest ones to the Farm to play in the snow with her. Remus was still staying with us, several of his injuries were being difficult in healing. Ewan was trying to speed things up.

"Why did either of us buy this?" I asked, holding up a little dress that had a huge floppy collar. "It's for a baby that can't sit up yet, therefore, when they're laying down, this collar will," I laid the dress across my hand, and the collar flopped over my fingertips, "cover up their face. No baby will put up with this," I was laughing so hard at it. Lily was too, and then she grabbed her side.

"Don't make me laugh, it hurts." It only made me laugh harder.

There was a commotion in the hallway, and we came in to find Emma and Lilyan just outside of the floo, lying in a heap on the floor. They were both clearly scared and were screaming and crying. I got down on the floor, and pulled both girls to me, when the flames erupted again, and Ethan and Evan came flying out, bouncing into the girls and me. They too were screaming and crying. I got on my knees, and reached the oldest of the four.

"Evan, what happened? Where is Auntie Eira?" I yelled at him.

"There was this crazy lady, and this beat up man, and they came up to us while we were playing. Auntie Eira started screaming these things at us, and she yelled to get in the house. We all ran inside, and she threw the girls into the fire, and then Ethan and I," the little boy said through her tears. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed some floo powder, and threw it into the grate, I couldn't get out the other end, and rebounded back to the Manor. _It's a closed floo, but if we were compromised at the Farm, we might be compromised here too. I had to keep the rest of them safe._

"Floo's blocked on the other end," I told Lily. "Go, take the kids upstairs where the twins are sleeping, and lock yourself in. Seal the door and ward the door. I'll get James and Sirius. Go!" I yelled, and she started up the stairs. I fired my patronus to James and Sirius and then sent one to Kingsley. I was debating leaving, but that would leave Lily and all six children here virtually unprotected. _Eira isn't bad at dueling, she's just not as strong as any of us. Lily is unpredictable now, the baby's magic keeps interfering with hers. _My mind was still deliberating leaving when James and Sirius apparated into the house. Sirius face was hard with a steely resolve, but his eyes said everything.


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note: Several of the questions that were left from the last chapter are answered in this one, and this chapter carries a tissue warning. Songs for this chapter: "Beautiful" by Amy Grant and the classic hymn "It is Well with my Soul". Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to read and review. Mutt**

**Chapter 40:**

**Silence**

**Sirius POV:**

I wasn't completely sure, but I thought that Anwen had finally fallen asleep; her body certainly felt slack against mine, but I wasn't entirely sure, and I refused to move and check. If she was sleeping, there was no way I was willing to disturb her slumber to check to make sure she was asleep. We were flying back to London, and I was hopeful that she had finally relaxed enough to sleep, or at least that the exhaustion had finally taken her.

_You would think that a whole family full of full grown wizards would be able to simply Portkey and apparate to another country, but that is not the case. Turns out, flying in a Muggle airplane is much easier. We would have, but when we were traveling this fall, we found that using a Portkey with four small children was, challenging, at best. Then, with Anwen being pregnant, the motion was very hard on her. Finally, there was the little matter of the coffin that contained Anwen's sister. All those things combined, made airplane flight a much more practical mode of transportation. I had chartered a plane and flew us all to Canada. Anwen's parents wanted Eira buried near them, and there was no dissuading them from this._

_Charlie had come with us. His pain over the loss of his fiancée was excruciating. It had taken King, Arthur and Bill to keep him from hurting himself that day. Molly and Arthur had come along as well, to support their son. It would have been the trip of a lifetime for Arthur, had the reason for it not been so horrible. His first ride on a Muggle airplane, seeing another country, staying in a Muggle home. Anwen's parents had closed the Bed and Breakfast down for the month of January anyway, and we were all housed there. Her brother left his team on the road, and was given the week off. Stephen and Liddy had taken a break from teaching, and were staying at their home, which was close by. Haf had left his University studies. I was thankful that we had brought the children with us. Their joy helped to keep things light, or the sorrow would have been overwhelming._

_The most disconcerting thing though, hda been Anwen's silence. There wasn't the hysterical crying that I had been used to when horrible things had happened in the past. No screaming or throwing things, no thrashing and wailing, this time, she was just calm and silent. _ We were sitting on one of the couches in the private plane, the kids were sleeping soundly, which was much better than the screaming that we had all endured during take off. Charlie was across the way, staring out the window, his parents next to him. Molly kept a protective hand on her son, somehow trying to will him the strength to continue on. Anwen had stretched herself out, leaning against me. I couldn't help but be concerned for her as I thought back over the past week.

Kingsley and his new partner, an older man by the name of Braudish, had arrived at the Farm before us. It took me several days to realize that Anwen had contacted her old partner as well as us, when she couldn't floo to the farm. Part of me suspected that she knew what we would find. That same part hated the fact that my wife knew to contact the Aurors immediately. The farm house and the barn were both on fire, and there was a lump on the lawn, covered in King's cloak. I went to rush to it, but King stopped me.

"It's her. You don't want to see her," he told me, and I looked in horror at our friend. "You don't want to remember her that way."

I shrank back from him, and looked at James. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I turned away from the scene. "I'll stay with her, right through the intake, until she's...Don't worry Sirius, I'll make sure she's taken care of." I nodded at him, thankful that the concern he had for Anwen would carry over to her sister; but even more thankful for the professional detachment that he could bring to the situation.

"Sirius, we need to get back to the Manor. We need to check on the girls and the kids," James said, and I nodded at him. It seemed that I couldn't even form words, just move my head slightly. He grabbed hold of my arm, and a moment later we were in the entryway at the Manor. I had tried to hide my emotions, but it was useless against Anwen. She just stood there. I watched as the color drained from her face, and the light dimmed in her eyes, but she just stood there.

"We need to tell Charlie. James, can you go to Arthur, I think that he'll need his father. He should have family with him when I tell him," she told me, calm as day.

"Of course. Where are Lily and the kids?"

"Up in Sirius' old room. I told her to seal herself in there with all of them. I wasn't sure if we were safe or not." He nodded at her.

"Let me go see Lily, then we'll go to the Ministry," James said, and she nodded slightly at him as he took off for the stairs. I didn't realize it then, but this is how Anwen would be all week; moving through everything, but almost no emotions, and nearly completely silent. She left me with Lily and the children, while she went to the Ministry to tell her sister's fiancée that she had been murdered.

Lily had patronused Molly, who in turn had gotten in touch with Bill, so that Charlie's family could support him. Then she contacted Remus and Tonks, who were immediately at the Manor. Tonks went up to Hogwarts, where she was stationed this year, and told Albus; leaving him the unenviable job of telling the kids at school. And I just sat there, on the couch in the lounge, watching all of this going on, unable to do anything.

"Sirius, are you okay?" Lily asked me, coming to sit next to me.

"No. I've lost every member of my immediate family, and none of them ever hurt like this," I told her, starting to cry myself.

"Let it out, dear. Anwen's family always loved you, probably more than your family ever did. Eira lived with you for the last few years, what you're feeling is normal," she told me, in that gentle way Lily has always been with everyone. "Get it out before Anwen gets back, she's in shock right now, eventually it will end," she told me; and I began waiting for that to happen. Six days later, I was still waiting.

My thoughts were brought back to the present when I heard Lilyan start to whimper in her sleep. Of all of the children, our eldest daughter had taken her Auntie's death the hardest. There had always been a close bond between the two, and Lilyan seemed to understand that she wouldn't be playing with her favorite Aunt anymore. She started to cry, and I was about to get up, when Arthur shook his head at me, and went and picked up the nearly three year old girl, and cradled her in his arms.

"Hey little Ladybird, it's okay," he told her, stroking her head.

"Auntie Eira's with the angels now, isn't she?"

"Yes she is sweetheart, but you know what, I bet that she loves flying there too," he told her, and it seemed to placate the little girl's need for reassurance. She settled against him, and went back to sleep. I had only deep gratitude for what Arthur and Molly had done this week, not only for their son, but for our whole family. I smiled, remembering how Molly had diffused the tension a few days ago.

We flew into Toronto, and from there we were met by people from the Funeral Home. They loaded the coffin into a hearse, and then they had some other vehicles to drive the family in. They even had car seats for the children. The drive from Toronto south is usually a rather wild one, traffic on the QEW was unreal, but this time the drive didn't seem so bad. Anwen was quiet in the car, only speaking when spoken to, or to say something to the kids.

They dropped us off at her parents' place, while they took the coffin to the Funeral Home. The paperwork the ministry had provided us stated that it was fully prepared for burial; the reality was that King had sealed the coffin, and no one would be able to open it. I could only imagine how horrid my sister-in-law must have looked, if King felt the need to keep anyone else from seeing her. The next day was the funeral, and we met many of my in-laws' friends and neighbors. I kept close to Arthur, to make sure that he wouldn't give away our secrets, but it all went surprisingly well. Anwen couldn't bring herself to sing, and no one seemed to press the issue.

Things went fine until that night. Anwen was out in the yard, sitting in the snow, when her mother went out to speak to her. I don't know how it escalated, but we all went running when we heard Rhosyn scream, "This is your fault, you were supposed to keep her safe!"

Caldwalder, Arthur and I all got up and went out to see Rhosyn staring at Anwen in the face, screaming at her, fists raised in the air, tears streaming down her face. "She is your baby sister, and you were supposed to take care of her. She's dead because of you."

Anwen's father reached his wife, and gently pulled her arms down, holding her tightly to him. "Rhosyn, you don't mean that. Eira was an adult, she made her own choices. What happened was a horrible thing, but it isn't Anwen's fault."

I had reached Winnie by that point, and I was standing behind her, my arms around her. She wasn't crying, she wasn't even visibly upset. She apparently had just been standing there, taking what her mother was dishing out.

"She's right Da. I didn't protect her, not the way I should have, I'm so sorry," Anwen told them quietly, before sighing. Then there was nothing. We all stood there, in the snow, not sure what to do or say. That's when the back door opened and Molly was standing there, covered in what looked like melted chocolate. "I think that I may not know how to work your stove so well, Rhosyn," she said. We all turned to look at her, and we couldn't help but laugh. The memory made me smile, Molly made me smile. She had sat down, and given Rhosyn an understanding ear, and it seemed to help. They were both mothers of rather unruly broods; they had a great deal in common. Before we left, Molly let Rhosyn know that she would always think of Eira as her daughter, and that she would have been proud to have welcomed her to the family.

Anwen shifted against me, and then turned her head enough so that I could see that she was awake. I moved my hand so that I could stroke her cheek, and she looked up at me.

"How much longer do we have until we land?" she asked.

"Only a few more hours, why don't you try and get some more sleep?"

"I haven't slept yet, love. I've just been thinking."

"About what?"

"I couldn't save her. Why was I allowed to save you, but I couldn't save her?" I ran my hand over her shoulder, and I thought for a moment. _She wasn't the only one who had thought about this. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my being here was any more important than her sister being alive. What was it that made it okay for Anwen to come and get me?_

"I don't know, love; but I think that it was completely different. I wasn't actually dead." She nodded against me, and then said no more. The silence was getting deafening.

**Anwen POV:**

I was glad to be back home, back in my house. Andromeda was there when we arrived, in theory because of the Order, but in reality, it was to help me with the kids. I still felt numb. I was sitting in the library next to the fire when Ewan came in.

"Anwen, drink this before bed tonight," he told me, handing me one of the small phials that contained a potion.

"I don't need it."

"You do. You haven't slept in so long, your brain is going to stop working correctly. You need some sleep. Just one night, please?" I took the small bottle from him, and wordlessly agreed. Time seemed to flow in strange ways for me now. I wasn't feeling anything, just numb, like my whole body had somehow been wrapped in an odd blanket and I could hear what was going on, but it was muffled; see what was going on, but it was blurry. When I touched things, I almost felt them, but none of it felt right.

I took the potion that night, and I did indeed sleep until the next morning. When I realized what day it was, I wished that I had more, just so that I could sleep through the day. Today would be the Wizarding Memorial for my sister. It would be here at Grimmauld, because there was nowhere else to have it. Thankfully, everyone who would come, was already in the Order.

Somehow, Tonks and Andromeda had gotten Kreacher to listen to them, and he had prepared the food and the house. The service was nice enough, Sirius spoke about Eira when she was little, at our wedding, and how she was the first member of the family to welcome him fully. Hermione and Harry talked about how smart she was, and how much fun she was to fly with. Charlie got up, but all he could tell us, was that she was the love of his life, and not a day would go by without him missing her. Arthur and Molly called her the daughter they would always miss. I just sat there, listening, unable to even form words to tell them what my baby sister meant to me.

I saw the looks on the faces of my friends, they were all deeply concerned. I couldn't assure them that I would be alright, I didn't know what alright was anymore. In less than a year, I had done the unthinkable, and brought Sirius back from beyond the veil, lost my boss and close friend, and now my sister, and I was once again pregnant and the most coherent thought that I could form was that I wasn't sure that this was the world to be bringing a baby into.

People milled around the lower floors of our home, eating, talking and reminiscing. Andromeda and Tonks tried to keep the children contained, but there were six of them, and it was difficult. I found a seat by the fireplace in the Sitting Room, and I watched as things happened around me. Sirius came and sat on the arm of the chair, his arm around me, but I didn't even have the strength to acknowledge his presence.

James came in a while later, whispered something to Sirius, and then disappeared. I looked up into my husband's eyes, but he shook his head to let me know that it was nothing. Time was once again detached from me, I wasn't living in the same realm as everyone else. I laid my head in his lap, and prayed that I would feel something, anything.

People started leaving, and eventually, we were left with just our family, Tonks and Remus. Remus would once again be living with us, his home had been destroyed by the fire. He had lost nearly everything that he had ever owned. It was fine for him to stay here, we had more than enough space, and since Ewan was still trying to heal some of his wounds, the proximity was a good thing. Tonks had taken him out shopping, and gotten him some new things to wear. It may have been the only time that I remembered Remus having all new clothes.

"Love, is there anything that I can get for you before we go?" he asked me, I looked up at him.

"Go? Where are we going?"

"Anwen, Lily left for the hospital hours ago, she's had the baby. She wants you to come and see her," he told me. _ How had I missed her leaving to give birth? When had he told me?_ The blanket seemed to be becoming thinner, and my mind was in less of a haze.

"When?"

"Winnie, she went into labor during the Memorial. They left hours ago. The kids are taken care of, Remus is going to come with us. We need to go and meet James and Lily's new baby. Minerva wants to take the Hogwarts kids over, but James and Lily want us there first," he explained to me and I nodded at him.

Thankfully, Sirius didn't take his arm away from me, because I was horribly unsteady on my feet. We made our way down the familiar halls of the Maternity Ward, and Sirius gently pushed open the door to Lily's room. James was sitting on the bed next to Lily, and they were holding a little pink blanket.

"Hi you three, glad that you could make it," Lily said happily, and her smile actually warmed my heart, just a little. I felt the blanket slip even more, and I felt like I was shaking off a deep slumber.

"You'll be glad to know that everything went well, and we are the proud parents of another beautiful little girl," James beamed. Lily unwrapped the bundle, and there was her sweet, round face, covered in the lightest of peach fuzz in the same color as Lily's.

"I know that things seem dark right now, but this little girl is a ray of light, a beam of hope for what the future can bring. I want you to meet Hope Eira Potter," Lily told me, and I looked at her, my mouth hanging open. "Anwen, your sister sacrificed herself to save my children, I cannot think of a braver, more noble woman to have my daughter, our daughter, named after. Even in the depths of despair, we need to have hope."

The words were so much like the dream that I had had while I was in France, the one with Perenelle, that I looked at Sirius, and then at Remus because he was the only other one who knew of it. I stared down at the little bundle of baby, and whatever had been dampening my senses over the last days completely fell away. There was still pain – a deep, aching pain in the center of my soul – but because of the wonder of this little girl, there was happiness too.

James lifted her up, and put her in my arms, and I started crying. I realized that I hadn't cried for my sister, I hadn't wept over the completely selfless act that she had made. While I would miss her, and I would fully need to grieve for her, I was so very proud of her. My body started to convulse in tears, and everything came tumbling out of me. James quickly took the baby, and Sirius picked me up and went to the chair, sat down and curled me into him. And I cried until the pain wasn't the strongest thing I felt, but instead I was left with pride, and love, and most of all, hope.

**Sirius POV:**

I brought Anwen home from the hospital, surprised but not shocked that it was the baby that was finally able to reach her. Ewan gave her another dreamless sleep potion, and then I laid her down in our bed, still fully clothed, even though it was only a little after six at night. Molly, Arthur and Andromeda had stayed and prepared dinner, and then Molly helped me get all six children into bed, since the Potter kids would be staying with us. When we came back downstairs, I wasn't too stunned to find King and Mad–Eye at the Dining Room table with the other adults, including Remus, who had just come back from the hospital.

"Came with the final report from the Ministry," King told me, holding out a file.

"And I came to fill in what those lazy bums missed," Mad–Eye added. I shook my head at them. _Apparently even though he quit, he still wanted to see things done his way._

"Eira got the kids through the floo, and then blew it up, so that they couldn't be followed back to the Manor. It was very smart thinking on her part," King told me.

"We found two sets of footprints, they came in through the forest, in past Remus' apartment and lab. We think that they may have gone in there first, and it appeared that it was set on fire first. They then came through the back yard, which is where Eira was playing with the kids. They dragged her from the house, and killed her," King told me, and I opened the file, but all that was there was a single sheet of parchment, that said essentially what he had just said to me. "The official file has been sealed, and archived. You don't need to know anything else Sirius, neither does Anwen. Chances are, her brain has already filled in the pieces, and she suspects what happened. I don't need to confirm those suspicions," he told me, and while I wanted to protest, I couldn't bring myself to do it. "The magic was too degraded by the time we were able to get close enough though to be able to tell who might have been the cause."

"I think that I might be able to help with that," Andromeda said, and I looked at my cousin, surprised. "This afternoon, after you all left, I was in the Sitting Room with the children. They wanted to watch some television, and I figured that it was alright. Anyway, I wasn't really watching their show, so I got up and went to look at the family tapestry. I've never been very proud of my family heritage, but I love the way that hanging looks. The magic has always fascinated me," she told me, and I nodded at her.

"We feel the same way, that's why Anwen repaired it, and we keep it up there," I told her, and she nodded in agreement.

"Well, I was looking at the tapestry, when Evan came over to me, looking at it as well. I picked him up, and I pointed out you and Anwen, and all of your children; then I pointed out Dora's picture, and showed how there was a double line growing there, because you and she are going to be married soon," Andromeda pointedly told Remus, and he nodded in understanding at her. "Then I pointed out my face, and Evan gasped and hugged me tight. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me that he saw the crazy lady who had hurt Auntie Eira. He pointed at Bella's picture." The bile rose in my throat, but she kept talking.

"I asked him if he was sure, and he told me that he was. I believe him, the horror that was in his face, he knew it was her. I asked him if he remembered anything else, and he told me that the man that was with her looked like Uncle Remus does, after he's had a bad night. I figured that was his way of saying something about you after your changes?" Remus confirmed this. We had never lied to the children about him, but we also hadn't told them the truth. They all knew that Uncle Remus had bad nights sometimes, and they made him sick. Andromeda's words hung in the air, and they seemed to make all of the oxygen evaporate from the room.

"Did he say anything else?" Remus queried.

"No, but I think that there may be more of a memory there, I just didn't want to push it. Maybe if it were someone that he trusts more, or one of you who could interpret better what he was saying, but that was all that he told me," she said quietly.

"That's very helpful, it at least gives us an idea of where to start this investigation," King said loudly, and then turned to Mad–Eye. "It also helps explains the nature of those wounds." _I didn't want to think about what that meant, but I couldn't help it. Bella had taken Greyback to our home, and if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Eira...how the hell could she do that to someone? How could she be so callous?_

"Sirius, sit down," King commanded me, and I realized I didn't know that I had stood up. "I'll talk with James in the next few days, see if we can sit down with Evan and see if he remembers anything else. We need to know how they found the house." I sat down, and immediately my brain began working again.

"The farm was never under as strong wards as either this house or the Manor. They're both Fideliused, but we couldn't do that with Farm, since the Muggles would have noticed it suddenly disappearing. We'll just keep the kids inside from now on," I muttered, hating the idea of cooping my children up inside all of the time, but the alternative was much worse. "I think I need to reconsider the protection on the new house as well."

We talked for a while longer, and eventually everyone headed off for their own homes, or at least their own rooms. I checked on Anwen, and she was still sleeping soundly, which I was thankful for. I went down and looked at the family tapestry, and pondered for a moment how I had not ended up like the rest of my family. My blood boiled beneath my skin when I looked at my cousin's picture, and I couldn't help but think of all the pain that she had inflicted on my wife and me. I was nearly ready to go off in search of her myself, when I looked down at my own little family, and recognized the small bud that was forming just below the beautiful face of my Lilyan. _There's the reason not to go searching for Bella, that still unformed flower that your wife is growing right now._ I ran my fingers over the newest addition to the tree, and decided that the wiser course of action would be to go and curl myself up against my wife and our newest child to be.

**Remus POV:**

I couldn't believe what they were telling me. My stomach turned at the thought, and I wanted to run out of the room. _Greyback had tracked me to the farm. By living with the pack, he had learned my scent, and he had followed it, taking Bella with him, and tracked me back to where Eira and the kids were playing. _

I looked at my friends, Lily was rocking little Hope in her arms, she was just five weeks old. James was sitting next to her, his arm over the back of the chair, looking down with love at his wife. Anwen and Sirius were sharing a chair, wrapped up in each other, happily in love. His hand had slipped inside of her shirt, as it always did when she was with child, to hold the baby too. She had finally shared that she was due to have another baby, in about six months, but the glow that seemed to seep through her skin had long since given her away. None of them seemed fazed by this discovery, in fact, they were laughing at it; but it made me horror-struck.

"Well now, this will be a challenge. How are we going to ward for scents?" Sirius said, with a joke in his voice.

"Well, you're the one with the super smelling ability, I think that we'll leave that up to you," James joked back and I was dumbstruck by them. _ How could they be joking at a time like this? How could they find this funny? None of them was safe as long as I was around them._ I stood up to leave, I needed to get away from them, and their children.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anwen asked me, looking puzzled.

"If I can be tracked by my smell, then I have to get away from all of you. I can't be near you, it's too much of a risk," I told them, once again headed for the door.

"Too much of a risk? After twenty-five years, do you really think that you're not being here would somehow erase the smell?" she asked, looking at me with the most confused look on her face.

"Maybe, but I have to get away. I can't do this to any of you," I told her, again moving toward the door.

"Stop!" Anwen yelled, getting up and standing in front of me. "We don't know if that's really what happened, we just said that Evan remembers the man saying something about the smell of the place. Even if it was your smell, do you really think that running away is going to solve this?" She put her hands on my arms, stopping me in my forward motion.

"Anwen, your sister is dead because of me," I told her. I had felt this way since I had heard of Eira's murder. _If I had been at the Farm, I might have been able to stop it. Instead, I was comfortable and cared for here in London._

"How do you figure that? You didn't come after her, you didn't threaten the children or eviscerate her. You didn't burn the buildings to the ground. You didn't kill Eira, any more than I did," she told me, a sense of calm and peace in her.

"This wasn't your fault," I tried to assure her, knowing that she had been blaming herself.

"You're right. This is Voldemort's fault. This is Bella's fault. And if he was there, this is Greyback's fault. But it is not mine," she said resolutely, "and it is not yours either."

"You're wrong. If they tracked my scent there, then I left them a trail to find the Farm, just as sure as there is a trail to find me here or at the Manor," I told her, once again trying to get away.

"So, you're going to take the easy way out, and run away? Fine, leave, and take all of your things, because you're not welcome here anymore."

"Anwen, be reasonable," I heard Sirius say.

"No, Sirius, if he wants to wallow in his own pity and self-loathing, then I have no energy to stop him; but I refuse to watch either. My sister gave her life to save our children, and I will be forever thankful to her for the gift of their continued lives, but I will not let her memory be besmirched because he's afraid to live. She had everything in front of her, love and marriage, having her own children and watching them grow up and lead their own lives – all of the things that he has as well, but he is scared to live. He's nearly succeeded in pushing Tonks away, nearly succeeded in his plan to make sure that he's never happy. So, please Remus, before we have this same, tired argument again, go." Anwen stood aside, but I couldn't move. I looked at my friends, they were all somewhat stunned at Anwen's outburst, but none of them were disagreeing with her. I looked down at her, and her face set firmly against me.

"What if I can't do it?" She laughed at me.

"What, be married? Be a father? Be alive? Why do you have to know what to do before you start it? Why can't you just be like the rest of us, and wake up each morning and figure it out as it goes?"

"But what if I get killed?" She looked at me, with such disappointment in her eyes.

"Wouldn't it be better to have lived your life to the fullest, right until the end; than know that you had died with regrets?" The silence in the room was complete. I could pick out the individual breathing patterns of each of my friends. "I know you have nowhere else to go, so you may stay here, but I would ask that you avoid me. I will not watch you throw all of this away. I love you too much for that."

Anwen slipped from the room, and Sirius got up to follow her. I turned and looked at James and Lily.

"You can move in with us if you want, but she's right," Lily said, turning her eyes away from me, looking back down at her sleeping daughter. I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it again. "If we stop living, we've let him win already."

"I just want to do the right thing."

"The right thing doesn't always have to be the most painful one," James told me, and I left the room to think.


	42. Chapter 42

**Author's Note: This chapter is a little shorter than the last few have been, but it is a nice chapter nonetheless, containing moments of calm and resolution before the fury that is about to befall them. The songs for this chapter are: "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles and "Sometimes" by Depeche Mode. Again, I don't own Harry or his world, but I really do enjoy playing there. Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 41:**

**Quiet Conversations**

**Sirius POV:**

"Well, another hard earned cup for the Gryffindor Quidditch team," I told my friends as we walked back through the castle. Well, three of us walked, Anwen sort of waddled now, her feet were so swollen from this pregnancy. She had her arm wrapped around mine, leaning herself on me. I had no idea how she was going to make it for another three months.

"As if you had anything to do with it," Anwen said, looking at me with that amused and irritated look on her face. "Ginny won that match for them, that girl is amazing on a broom."

"She is, but it would have been over sooner if Harry had been flying," James said, and Lily just sort of snorted at him.

"Harry would have been flying if he hadn't been so stupid. I'm glad that he lost something that means so much to him, maybe he'll use his head next time," she said in a way that only a mother could.

"Lils, from listening to Harry, that little Malfoy brat was about to use an Unforgivable..." I tried to interject. Anwen was shaking her head.

"That doesn't matter. Harry could have defended himself in any number of ways, he should have never used a spell that he didn't know what it was, or the origin of it. I agree with Lily, we should be grateful for the mercy he was shown," Anwen told me, and I stopped.

"Are you calling Snivelus merciful? When did you get soft?" I asked her, wondering if the pregnancy had gone to her brain.

"I'm not being soft, I just think we should all be grateful that the situation didn't end up worse than it did. Now let's go retrieve Harry so we can get back to the kids. We left all seven of them with Molly, Arthur and Minerva," she told me, but we all stopped cold in our tracks. There in the hallway, was the backside of my godson, he was pressed up to the front side of the redheaded Gryffindor seeker. His hands on the wall on either side of her, hers were twined up in his now extremely unruly hair and they were engaged in a rather passionate snog. We all just looked in shock, and I was about to open my mouth to say something when I felt Anwen's hand over it while she was pushing me away. "Oh no you don't, you're not saying anything and we're leaving," she told me. I tried to protest, but she just kept pushing me away and shaking her head. Lily was doing the same thing to James. When we were around the corner, the girls started talking again.

"I guess they're done dancing," Lily said with a giggle.

"I suppose that they're not interested in lunch either, Harry seems to have started with dessert," Anwen added giggling as well. They were nearly doubled over with laughter. James and I both looked at each other but couldn't figure out what was so funny.

"Care to fill us in on what's got you two so riled up?" James asked them, and finally Anwen was able to control her laughing enough to talk.

"It's just so sweet, and our hormones are all out of whack. Plus, you're going to need to give the 'Little Wizards' talk to Harry again, since it just went from theory to practice," she said, bursting out laughing again. James groaned at the idea.

"I'll help," I suggested and all three of them looked at me and said, "NO!" in unison. We got back to the Headmaster's Dining Room and we were greeted by the four adults, wondering where the kids that we were sent to get, were.

"They were otherwise engaged," Lily said with a grin on her face as she picked Hope up. Molly looked at her confused.

"Harry was caught snogging...your daughter in the hallway. We got them away before his Dad went up to congratulate them and Sirius here went to tell them the best broom closets in the building," Anwen said and Arthur glared at me.

"Oh thank Merlin the two of them figured it out," Molly said, clasping her hands together. "Took them long enough, for smart kids, they were, oh thank Merlin. Now we just need to get Ron and Hermione to stop dancing with each other," Molly said, and I wondered if they actually sat around and talked about these things over tea.

"Those two don't even realize that they're dancing yet, give them time," Anwen said and they all nodded.

"What's up with the three of you?" I asked the women, and they all looked at me.

"Sirius, it's spring, and the kids are in love, what's better than that?" Anwen told me, and she went to sit down on a couch and put her feet up. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes and put her hands on her swollen belly. She looked incredibly beautiful there. My love for her must have overwhelmed me, because she opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"Nothing at all love, nothing at all," I told her as I leaned down to kiss her, and then kiss her belly too, coming to rest near her legs. "Are you hungry, love?"

"Always, just nothing with onions, or I'll be tasting them all day," she requested and I nodded at her. I kissed her again and went to get some plates of food for her, and to make sure that the kids were still eating. Molly and Minerva had gotten them started, sitting at a little table. All six of them were happily munching away, and Albus was sitting on the floor, next to their little table, speaking with them. They were all chatting brightly, and he seemed to be carrying on more than one conversation at a time. Ethan and Evan were replaying the match for him, and Lilyan and Emma were talking about their teddy bears and the picnic they had with them, and the twins were talking in their own language to him, which he appeared to be understanding. _Never would know that he's the most powerful and sought after wizard alive. Surely he has better things to do with his time than chat with small children._ His behavior was surprising, to say the least. I walked back to where Anwen was, and handed her the plate of lunch, and she smiled at me. Molly had gone to sit at the end of the couch, near Anwen's feet, so I sat on the arm.

"Any luck with names, dear?" Molly asked her, and Anwen sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing, we can't agree on anything. We've reviewed the entire family tree, we've looked at my family, we've even gone as far to consider famous Quidditch players, and we can't find any names that we agree on. Tomorrow, I am going to start reviewing star charts to try and find, something. At the rate we're going, we're gonna let the children name this baby, so it may very well end up with the name "Paddington" or "Babbity."

I rubbed her shoulder, and she leaned her head on my thigh. "We've still got three months, we'll figure this out," I told her and she sighed.

"How's Charlie doing? I keep wanting to come and visit, but, I know seeing me has been hard on him," she asked Molly and the older woman sighed and looked at my wife.

"He takes it day by day. He's going to stay through the wedding, but then I wouldn't be surprised if he goes back to Romania. Too many ghosts are haunting him here. He's appreciated your letters dear, but to be honest, he can't look at you. Says when he does, he sees your sister, and it just hurts too much," Molly told Anwen, and I could see her nodding.

"My Da always called us the 'bookends', Liddy, Islwyn and Haf all have his blond hair, but Eira and I were the brunettes. Even had the same colored eyes," she said wistfully, and I knew that it was still painful for her to think of the loss of her littlest sister.

"How's your Ma doing?"

"She's coping, I guess. We've talked on the phone a few times, but I still think that part of her blames me for what happened. I've talked with Da and Liddy about it, and they think that time will heal her wounds. He's promised me though that they won't try and come and see Pup when it's born. I really would never forgive myself if anything else happened to my family," she said quietly. _I still can't get her to let go of the guilt, even though she says she knows it isn't her fault, part of me is sure she is still blaming herself._

"Well then, we'll just have to make sure that you have enough help that you won't miss having your Mum here. Now, you have to promise me that you won't have that baby until after Bill and Fleur's wedding. We're expecting you to sing," Molly told her, and Anwen nodded.

"My due date isn't until a week later,, but I make no promises, considering how early the first two showed up. The only pregnancy I made it even remotely close to my due date was with the twins. How wonky is that?" she asked, and Molly just shook her head at her.

"Whatever you do, please don't go into labor at the wedding, Auntie Muriel probably won't stand it," Molly said, and we all broke out laughing at the idea of Molly's Aunt having a fit due to the wedding being disrupted.

"Molly, are you sure that you want all of my kids at the wedding? Really, our four, put together with James and Lily's two are, well, a handful. They all clearly have more than a bit of their daddies in them," Anwen said, and while I knew what she was talking about, part of me was hurt that she thought our children were a handful.

"Nonsense, we've got everything planned for them, and both Hermione and Luna have said that they will keep an eye on them while you're singing. I wouldn't want it any other way; at times like these, we need family together. Anyway, if we get too serious, your children will lighten the mood," Molly told her, and my wife nodded.

The women continued to talk about the wedding plans, and I sort of zoned out, deciding that I really didn't care about napkin colors and the flowers that were being used. The kids finished eating, and they were playing rather quietly with Minerva. I couldn't help but smile at the way she acted like a grandmother to them. _Far cry from the way that she would yell at me while I was here. _I was roused from my mental ministrations by Anwen shifting away from me. Albus was standing near us, his hand extended to Anwen, helping her up from her sitting position.

"You back with us, love?" she asked me.

"I'm fine, just remembering living here," I told her, still a little lost in my memories. There were still many times when I would start remembering things, and realize that I was discovering new things about myself, my wife or our children. Winnie was always so gentle with me when these things happened.

"Why don't you take the kids home? Albus needs to talk with me, and then I'll get myself home," she said quietly.

"Are you sure? You really don't like apparating," I reminded her. "I could take the kids outside and play for a while, and then we could all use the Portkey home."

"I'll be fine Sirius. It's just the nausea, and it's better now. Take them home, and get them napping. The family is coming for dinner," she told me, letting me know that we were having a family meeting tonight. _She must know what Albus needs to talk with her about, and then will need to talk with all of us._ I nodded at her, and went to collect the kids and the rucksack that we carried all of the children's things in. James was helping Lily collect up their kids as well.

"All right my little pups, fall in line," I called, and the kids squealed and ran over to me. Ethan had John by the hand and Lilyan had Jamie. "I happen to know that Mummy made cookies yesterday, who wants to go home and eat cookies before nap?" I asked, and they cheered at me. I looked over to Anwen, and she was rolling her eyes and shaking her head at me. "Go on, say goodbye to Mummy, she'll be home soon." They all ran over, and hugged her legs and she leaned down and kissed each one on the head. They said goodbye to Albus as well, telling their Dumbwy goodbye. The kids gathered around the old Christmas card that we had turned into the Portkey and each took hold, and a moment later, we were in the living room at _Fair Garden_.

**Anwen POV:**

"Are you sure that you're going to make it up the stairs? I could call Fawkes down here, and flash you up to my office?" Albus asked me, and I shook my head at him.

"I'm fine. It actually helps with the swelling if I keep moving. My healer reminded me that as quickly as my body healed, we really weren't meant to have babies as often as I have," I told him. "I think that this might be the last time I'm pregnant."

"How does Sirius feel about that? He seems to enjoy fatherhood."

"He does, but he's not the one who needs to carry these kids," she said and we both chuckled. "He's a rotten disciplinarian. You think that someone who spent so much time being reprimanded would have some idea how to discipline a child, but he's as soft as a pillow," I told him with a flick of my hand. "It's sweet though. He loves our children with an amazing passion, and they love him right back. I love watching him discover what it's like to be a father, to really be part of a family, to know that he is loved unconditionally. He suffered at the hands of his parents and brother for so long..." I stopped speaking to get hold of my emotions. "Yes, he's a very good father."

"You're both very good parents, Anwen. You're children are bright, happy and a delight to be around. They will be remarkable people when they grow up," he told me, but there was sadness in his voice.

"Thank you, Albus," I told him as warmly as I could, but his melancholy was contagious. We trudged up the stairs, and when we were seated in the office, Albus closed and sealed the door. I continued speaking. "Ewan told me that the treatments have stopped working. I can see that the curse is spreading. I'm sorry," I told him, bringing my feet to rest on the poof that Albus had sent across the room for me to use.

"We knew this day was coming, Anwen. My affairs are in order, plans have been made. It's just a waiting game now. I wanted to give you these," he said, levitating a folder at me. "This is everything that I know about Tom Riddle. His school files are there, any information that I found about his parents and the crimes I know that he had committed. Compare it with what you have learned already, and make sure that we don't have any holes that can be easily filled."

I took the satchel, and laid it in my lap. I couldn't make eye contact with him, I knew that if he could see my eyes, it would betray me. _The end is near, he knows it and can feel it too._

"You're certain that your spell will work?" he asked me, and I instantly knew what he was questioning me about.

"I'm sure. The last piece recently fell into place," I told him. "I'll wait until he's home, once school is out. I'm assuming that it will take a few days to recover. I also want to make sure that we don't need to access it again, before I excise it completely." He nodded in agreement. An uncomfortable silence settled between us, and we sat there, not looking or talking.

"Anwen, are you sure that you can do this?" he finally asked me, breaking the silence.

"Sir, the magic will work. The new magics that I've learned will allow us to do this, I am confident of that. I'm more than powerful enough, especially since I can draw on Sirius, and James and Lily if I need to. Anyway, I'm not called a bad-ass witch for nothing," I replied and we both smiled. Then the silence was once again making the room thick and uncomfortable.

"Well then, I suppose that's it. Our associate will need to speak with you. Has Sirius changed the wards at Grimmauld yet?" he asked. I shook my head at him.

"They're still the same. Tell him I'll meet him at one AM tomorrow night. It'll give me time to review this material, and to talk with the rest of the family. Speaking of which, I should be heading home. Everyone is coming for dinner and I've been up and on my feet for far too long today," I told him, getting up out of my chair, in a very ungraceful way. "I swear, by the time I get to this delivery date, I am going to be as big as a house."

"Anwen, you're simply beautiful, and while your grace may be a bit off, your still stunning to look at, and you radiate happiness," my former headmaster told me, and I smiled at him while my cheeks betrayed me. "You have always been very special to me, thank you for letting me share in your exceptional life," I swallowed down my tears and looked up into Albus' eyes.

"Don't, don't do this now. You're going to be here to see this little one born. The curse is still spreading very slowly. Please, don't say goodbye," I told him, my tears finally spilling over from my eyes.

"Child, we never really say goodbye to the ones we love. We simply wait for them on the other side," he told me, which made me cry harder. _Clearly, this is goodbye. _

"Why don't you come and have dinner with us next week. Ethan would love to have you see his new room, and you'll adore the gardens. Apparently, we can't ward against Fawkes, not that I'd want to. I'll even make you your favorite, Bouillabaisse," I told him, and he nodded at me.

"Of course," he told me, giving my shoulder's a squeeze. "How does Wednesday sound?" I nodded at him.

"Come a little before six. Now, for my waddle down to the gates to apparate home," I told him, headed toward the door.

"Nonsense," he stopped me. "Fawkes." The red and gold phoenix flew over to me and I smiled at my friend.

"Thank you. Flashing is very much appreciated. I'll see you Wednesday then," I told him and he nodded. I picked up the satchel and then grabbed Fawkes tail feathers, I was immediately in the front sitting room at _Fair Garden._ Jamie started crying at the noise, and Ethan started clapping his hands.

"Is Dumbwy coming too?" he asked me.

"Not today darling, but he's coming for dinner on Wednesday, alright? Oh, my little angel, come here," I said, putting down the folder and opening my arms to my little daughter. "Mummy didn't mean to scare you, I am so very sorry my little one," I told her as she hugged me. Her tears stopped as I picked her. Fawkes was still flying around the room, Ethan laughing with delight. "Fawkes, can Jamie pet you?" I asked, and the phoenix flew over, and perched on the arm of the chair. Jamie put her little hand out and petted the bird, who sang a calming tune while she did so.

"Mummy, he's so soft," she proclaimed with great excitement.

"Yes he is sweetie. Thank you Fawkes," and with that, the bird was gone. There was a sound behind me, and in lumbered my husband, the dog version of my husband, with both John and Lilyan on his back. I put Jamie down and just looked at him.

"Darling, that's for the game room downstairs, or outside, not up here. Your fur gets in the upholstery and I have to pluck it by hand to get it clean," I admonished him, my hands on my hips. He quickly changed back, and stood and took me into his arms.

"I wasn't going to jump up on the couch or anything. Just giving the kids rides around the house," he told me, then kissed me lightly. "I had Kreacher start dinner, and then sent him back to Grimmauld. He took care of the laundry while he was here though, so there's nothing for you to do. Why don't you sit down and relax?" I settled myself against his strong arms and sighed.

"Thank you and I think I will. My feet feel bangers stuffed into my shoes," I told him, and I sat down on the couch and lifted my feet up. My wonderful husband then took my shoes off and began to rub my feet. I groaned in pleasure. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"Several times, but I'm always happy to hear it. Relax dear, the kids are fine and the rest of the family won't be here for quite a while," he told me, and I nodded at him as I rested my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The following evening, I flooed into Grimmauld Place, and made my way up to the library. He was standing waiting for me, staring at the blank wall where the family tapestry used to be.

"I was surprised when it wasn't here," he told me. "I wouldn't think that you and Black wouldn't care so much about it."

"It isn't because he's proud of his family, but instead, as a reminder that even the most broken and sickly of trees can bear good fruit. We've taken nearly all of our personal items out of the house. Our other home is much safer," I told him.

"Does he know you're here?"

"No. He's asleep, he knows that I have to work with you, that we all do, but that it has to be done in secret. They're still not sure that we should trust you, not sure that you won't betray us all," I told him, and he nodded at me.

"I won't. I suppose only time will tell."

"You do understand why they don't trust you? You haven't exactly been, pleasant."

"Anwen, neither have all of you. If only we knew then what we know now," he said quietly, and I nodded at him. Memories from the last twenty years flooded my head. I shook myself free of them.

"Everyone is going to hate you, you're aware of that, aren't you? You're going to be public enemy number two, only just behind your boss there."

"I know, it doesn't matter. We all have our roles to play, this is mine."

"He'll kill you when he finds out that you've betrayed him."

"I don't doubt it. I just hope that he does it quickly, but I doubt I'll be that lucky. He'll probably let Bella have some fun before he kills me. It serves as some sort of twisted foreplay for the two of them." I felt my stomach turn at that idea.

"Okay, that was an image I didn't need. You know, I'm still likely to get sick at the drop of a hat."

"Sorry. It's a brave thing you're doing, having a child now. The Dark Lord is very interested in you, and your children."

"I figured he would be, especially after what happened last year. He won't get at me, or my children." I told him resolutely.

"I would never think to cross you now. What you did last year, the strength of your love for Black, that scared the Dark Lord. Your skills are impressive, but it's your motivation that frightens him. Just be aware. He's not the only one who would be thrilled to hurt you."

"I know, but I've had enemies for many, many years." We stood there quietly for a while. "I have one question for you. Were you the one who created the poison that nearly killed Lilyan and me three years ago?"

"No. Peter asked me, but I kept finding a way to keep from helping him. He went elsewhere then."

"Narcissa Malfoy?" He nodded yes at me. "I figured if it wasn't you, it had to be her. Damn, I married into one crazy family."

"You've got no idea my dear. She only did it under duress however, if that's any consolation. It really was..."

"Lucius. He hates me, has for years. He's one really, really sick man," I told him, trying to push aside some of the memories of those years of dealing with the people he had hurt.

"Anwen, when they can, they're going to come after you, and after you hard. Peter told them many of your secrets, and you gave the others away last year..."

"Only some of them. I have many more tricks up my sleeve." I didn't want to be talking about this. Not now, and certainly not with him. "Now, we're here to talk about how I can help you," I told him, changing the subject, and moving my hand, indicating that we should sit down. I sat on the love seat and put my feet up, he sat in the wingback opposite me.

"There's not much to do now, it's really just a waiting game. I hope that when the time comes, all goes the way that he wants it to," he said.

"You know, I don't think that I could ever do what he's asked of you."

"He never would have asked you. You're far too honorable to do it," he told me, and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"When you need us, please contact me. I can still sneak into the castle, and I know you know how to get into the Shrieking Shack," I said quietly, and we let the silence fill the room. "I should be getting home, Sirius is stirring, and if he realizes I'm not in our room, he'll panic and go looking for me." I could feel my husband awakening from his deep slumber, he was having a rather erotic dream about me I was sure, based on the emotions I was reading from him. I stood up, and my guest did the same. I placed my hand on his arm. "Good luck Severus. I'll be praying for you." He looked down at me, surprised by my words, and then left the room. I quickly walked back downstairs and flooed back to my home, sealing the floo when I was done.

I waved my hand over myself, returning to my nightgown as I reached the master bedroom. We had brought the bed over from Grimmauld, and the star light from the canopy lit my way. I slid back between the sheets, and curled myself into Sirius. He wrapped his arms around me, his hands running up and down my back. I tilted my head up and kissed him deeply.

"You alright?" he asked me, and I answered with a moan.

"I am now," I said as I brought my lips to his again. "Now, I happen to know that you were just having a rather steamy dream, and I can feel the after effects right there," I said, gently moving my hand down my husband. "So, you want to tell me about it?"

"I would much rather just show you, love."


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note: Okay folks, this is a long chapter, so please enjoy. The songs for this chapter are: "In Noctum" from the Half Blood Prince soundtrack, "Hard Times Come Again No More" and "Shelter" by Sarah MacLachlan. The last two are referenced in the chapter specifically. This story begins deviating greatly from canon at this point, because the family most definitely has different ideas about how to handle things, and Harry has their guidance. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing. We are into the home stretch here, only eight more chapters. Mutt**

**Chapter 42:**

**Phoenix Song**

**Anwen POV:**

"You know, at the rate we're going, this baby is going to be able to name itself," Sirius teased me, as he once again brought his lips to my swollen belly and kissed it. I was stretched out on the Sitting Room sofa, and Sirius was sitting on the floor near my mid section. He had lifted my tee shirt up, and had his head leaning against the seat of the couch, kissing and stroking the baby. I watched as a little hand or foot moved across me, and proceeded to bop him in the nose. I couldn't suppress my giggle.

"Feisty little bugger, isn't it," he said, still rubbing my belly.

"You're not the one getting hit from the inside all of the time," I reminded him. "Sirius, I think this should be our last baby. It really is much harder than it was before. I'm so tired this time."

"Love, while I love having children with you, it's your body that has to do all the work. If that is what you want, then that is what you shall have. Anyway, we've got our Quidditch team now," he told me and I chuckled at him.

"That we do. Hey, what do you think about the name Edmund? It means "protector", and I like the way it sounds; Edmund Black," I asked him, and a smile crept across his beautiful face.

"It's good Anwen. Sounds like we may have finally found a first name if this little Pup is a boy. Do you have a girl's name?" he asked me, and I shook my head at him.

"We don't need it. This is a boy, I'm sure of it."

"Your dream?" he questioned me, and I nodded at him. "I've learned not to go against you when you're sure of something. A boy it is then. Now, even if we're done having babies, that doesn't mean that we're done with practicing the baby making, are we?" he asked me, his eyes dark with desire, as his hand slid under the front of my tee shirt. "I would hate to stop doing this, since we've gotten so good at it." He lifted himself up, and moved his body so that he was covering me now, his feet dangling off the end of the couch, his other arm coming around to hold me to him.

"I would never think to deprive you of such a thing. We might forget how, and then where ever would we be?" I told him slyly. He grinned at me, with his delicious lopsided grin, and then leaned down to kiss me. As he went to deepen the kiss, Fawkes flashed into the room, and surprised us. I stared at the bird, and listened as he silently told me that Albus would be taking Harry out of the castle, and Albus would like me to keep a shield over him.

"Of course, Fawkes. Let Albus know I'll be watching," I told the bird, and it flashed out of the room. "Albus is taking Harry out of the castle. So much for our plans, the kids are all still awake anyway, so we would have had to wait for later anyhow. You going to head up to Hogwarts?"

"I should. I know that Tonks is on patrol tonight, but her magic has been a little...off...with everything that's been going on with her and Moony. I wonder if James and Lily know?" he asked me, and I shrugged my shoulders. Just then, James' stag patronus materialized.

"Headed to your house to leave Lily and the kids while we go to Hogwarts. Be there soon," he said, and then it evaporated.

"Guess that answers your question. I should go and check on the guest rooms, and make sure that we can get the kids down in Lilyan and Ethan's rooms," I said, trying to get up. Sirius put his hands on my shoulders, pushing me back down into the couch.

"Nonsense. The rooms are fine, and the beds are made. The kids are all in the playroom," he said, indicating the mirror that sat on the coffee table, showing our four pajama clad children playing in the Nursery room upstairs, "and they're ready for bed. We'll let them all play for a few minutes, and then put them all to bed. Relax, love. Why don't you see if you can get a fix on Harry?"

"Fine," I told him, and I closed my eyes, and went looking for Harry. I could find him, but it was very blurry.

"They're still at Hogwarts. I can barely make out his body," I told Sirius as I opened my eyes. The wards and protections on the castle made it hard to get a clear picture in when I looked for Harry while he was at school. "I wonder if Albus found another one?"

"That's what I'm guessing. Rather reckless of him to take Harry with him, don't you think?" I turned my head and just stared at him.

"You're calling Albus reckless? You? Really?" I asked him incredulously. "That's rich." He looked at me, and we both burst out laughing. Our reverie was interrupted by James, Lily and the kids coming through the floo. Sirius went over and sealed the floo, since there was no one at the Manor now, there was no where to floo from.

"Alright, all of you stay here, and if there is a problem, patronus immediately," James started telling Lily and me.

"You know James Andrew Potter, we're mothers, not idiots. I can still beat you in a duel, swollen as a pumpkin and all. We'll be fine," I assured him, and Sirius started laughing.

"I'd pay to see that, love. We'll be back when we can. Keep watching for Harry," he reminded me, and I nodded at him. Sirius leaned down, his hand on my belly and kissed me again. "I love you," he whispered and I swam in the emotions he sent me. They went out the front door, and then apparated away. Lily put Hope's carrier down, and I smiled at the sleeping bundle of pink. The older two had already taken off for the upstairs. I sat back down, and closed my eyes. This time Harry came in much clearer.

"They've left the school, and they're walking into Hogsmeade," I told Lily, and then opened my eyes. "The waiting game has begun, again." She nodded at me, and we made ourselves comfortable. I continued to watch Harry and Albus' progress, and a moment later as I watched I started to get extremely dizzy. "Oh, they're apparating somewhere..." I let out the breath that I was holding and then swallowed down the bile that was pooling in my throat. "Okay, I'm not going to be sick...um, they're...it looks like they're at the shore, somewhere."

I opened my eyes, and tried to get hold of the dizziness and nausea that were sweeping over me. Lily looked concerned, but I brushed her off. I closed my eyes again, and watched as Harry and Albus made their way toward a cave. And then, there was nothing. Everything went blank.

"I seem to have lost them. They were there, and then they just, disappeared. I've never had that happen before."

"I'm sure that they're fine, Albus is with him. Just relax Anwen, it's probably nothing," Lily said, trying to comfort me. I nodded at her, and we settled back into our seats. We talked for a while, Lily fed Hope and we put the kids to bed. I kept trying to find Harry, but it wasn't working. I was also worried that we hadn't heard from James and Sirius, but Lily convinced me that they were probably just sitting somewhere, chewing the fat with Tonks, who was permanently stationed at Hogwarts. I couldn't seem to shake the feeling that there was something very wrong.

**Sirius POV:**

We were making our way out of the castle; Prongs, Moony, Tonks and I. We were headed to the gates to apparate back to _Fair Garden_, I knew that I would have to hold onto Moony to get him through, but it was fine now. Anwen would bury her anger now, everything was right with him and Tonks. _Glad that there was something right, because everything else felt wrong. _ We walked in silence. I had wished that we had taken Harry with us, but he insisted that he stay behind, saying he needed to be here. We reached the gates, and I grabbed Moony's arm, and soon we were all on the lawn at our new home.

"Welcome to _Ban Garadh_," I told him. "We call if _Fair Garden, _since the kids butcher the Gaelic. Come on inside, Anwen will be happy to see you. She's missed you terribly." I opened the front door, and turned to the left, where the sitting room was. I wasn't surprised to see Anwen and Lily awake and waiting for us. When we came through the door, she immediately stood and came to me, putting her arms around me and hugging me tightly. "Anwen, he's..." my voice caught in my throat. "He's dead." She reached up and wiped the tears from my face.

"I know. We got a house guest a little while ago," she said, tilting her head to the side and turning sideways. I looked over her head, and saw Fawkes sitting on the top of the chesterfield that was in the corner of the room. "He showed up a bit ago, told me what had happened, and then told me he was to stay here, with us."

"So you're bonded to Albus' phoenix?"

"No, I'm not his partner. He just said that he's supposed to stay here," she told me, and I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. "Come on, sit down, do you need me to heal those?" she asked, touching the small curse burns and bruises on my arms and face. I moved to sit down on the sofa, and as I did, my wife must have noticed Remus and Tonks, standing together, arms wrapped around each other, still near the doorway. "You're here," she whimpered, tears starting to fall from her cheeks, "together," her shoulders began to shake from her crying. "I missed you so very much," she whispered as she moved closer to Remus. Tonks let go of him, and he opened his arms to Anwen, who launched herself into them. They hugged each other tightly, and he gently lifted her up off the floor.

"Forgive me, I was so stupid," he whispered at her, and I could hear her snort in response.

"Yes, you were, but it's over now. Welcome home," she told him, and I knew that she meant it. Remus put her back down on the ground. She looked at Tonks, and I could see the smiles that broke out on both of their faces. "Happiness will finally be yours," she said quietly as the two women embraced.

"I can't believe he's gone," Tonks whimpered as they hugged. Anwen released her, and she looked at James and then looked at me. Neither Tonks nor Remus had been at family meetings as of late, and there were important bits of information that they were missing. "I know," she said, coming to sit down on the sofa next to me. James and Lily were sitting on the love seat, and Tonks pushed Moony down in a chair, and immediately sat down in his lap. I looked at my wife and smiled.

"Guys, there are a few things that you missed in the last few months..." I started, and between James and me, we filled them in on everything that had happened since Anwen's blow up in late January. We also demolished two perfectly good bottles of Ogden's best over the course of the night, even Lily drank some. Anwen simply drank her herbal tea, grumbling under her breath. They were understandably shocked when they found out that Albus had arranged this.

"He knew that Snape was going to kill him?" Tonks asked, in utter shock.

"It was pre-arranged. The thing is, no one else can know, not yet. We have to act shocked, and appalled and grieving. We can't let anyone know that we knew this was coming." Anwen explained. They nodded at her. "You've also got to accept that we're working with Snape now," she told them, and both James and I scoffed. "Don't start," Anwen glared, and we both nodded at her, kind of. _I was still sure that he was going to double cross us, but Anwen had taken extreme precautions in dealing with him, and was sure that Albus was right. I still hated that she was dealing with him._ "Well, it's quite late, why don't I show you to a guest room. We'll have time to talk in the morning, and I'll give you a full tour of the house. Come on," Anwen said, attempting to get up, but she couldn't do it. I stood and helped her up.

"There is no way that I'll make it another six weeks," she sighed.

"You'll be fine love. I'll carry you around if need be."

"Great. That'll be wonderful," she said with an eye roll.

Three days later, we were in the Headmaster's Dining Room. Minerva had opened up this room for us to wait for Albus' memorial service to start. James, Lily, Remus and Tonks had gone to get seats, but Anwen had to walk in with those that would be seated in the front with the other dignitaries, as she was singing today. She would sing two pieces, one was the song that Remus had asked her to sing at his father's funeral during the first war; the other was still up in the air. I wasn't going to go and join the others until I absolutely had to, Anwen was just to fragile right now.

"Have you decided what you're going to do yet?" I asked her.

"Nope. I probably won't know until I get up there, and pick up my guitar. I've rehearsed both of them with Nigel, I'll just cue him when I start," she said quietly. Nigel Nottingham, the guitar player for _Broken Broomsticks_ would be accompanying her. They both had a great love of Muggle music, and had kept in touch all these years. Anwen felt comfortable asking him to play with her today.

"I know you'll do the right thing, and do what will honor Albus," I told her, wrapping my arms around her and pressing my lips to her forehead. We just stood there, holding one another, until Minerva came in and told her it was time. I gently kissed her lips and told her I would find her when it was over. I quickly went outside, and found the rest of the family. Andromeda and Ted had stayed at the Manor with all of the kids, except for Hope, who was nestled in her father's arms. Kreacher had gone over to help her, but I really couldn't imagine how well they would be getting along together. I scanned the crowd, and found Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione over with the students. He looked so small and lost, I could only imagine how this would be affecting him.

The dignitaries had filed in, and taken their seats in the front row. Anwen had walked down, her arm twined through Minerva's but I wasn't really sure who was holding whom up. Beautiful music began to fill the area, and I looked over toward the lake, and realized that the Mermaids were just below the surface, singing their beautiful melody. It was the same one that Anwen had sung with them, all those years ago. I was thankful that I couldn't make eye contact with her right now, or my strongly held facade might have fallen. _We might have known that this was coming, but it didn't mean that it hurt any less. _

Anwen stood and sang the old American Muggle song that Albus had commented on all those years ago. It was hauntingly beautiful, and I could tell that she was having a hard time with her emotions, because she made eye contact with no one, other than Nigel when she started the song. She seemed to be singing to the walls of the castle, off in the distance. While she was doing this, Hagrid brought Albus' body down, and laid it on the white marble table. They sat down, and the little wizard who was the head of the International Confederation of Wizards stood to speak.

When he was done, he sat down and white flames erupted around the body, and when they had died away, the final resting place of Albus Dumbledore was all that remained. Many in the crowd seemed surprised when the Centaurs paid their respects, but I wasn't surprised. It would have shocked me if they didn't. Albus was always respectful of everyone, regardless of who or what they were. _I wish I could be more like that. I wish that I could just accept people for who they were, not what I had been trained to think about them. _

I was roused from my thoughts as Anwen and Nigel stood again, and they conferred briefly, and then she picked up her acoustic guitar. We briefly made eye contact, and I leaned over to the family, and simply whispered, "Watch this," knowing that she had decided to do the song that would honor Albus perfectly.

She started singing a song by the Canadian recording artist that Eira had introduced her to, the same one whose song had helped Ginny after her experiences in the Chamber of Secrets. She looked above the crowd, knowing full well that the words were going to make people squirm; it talked about providing shelter, helping those who were in need, and doing whatever we needed to, to help with the coming storm. It was the perfect song, perfectly stating what Albus believed, and why he had created the Order in the first place. She made eye contact with no one, until the bridge, where the words "though I may seem helpless, I will do all that I can do," and she sang it right at where the Minister of Magic was sitting. My heart swelled with pride for my wife in that moment, and I could think of no more fitting tribute to her mentor and her friend. I was sure that Albus was smiling down and laughing at her tenacity right now. He had always respected that she was a force unto herself. I couldn't help but smile at her as well.

The service ended, and the dignitaries began to file out. Anwen stepped out of the procession, and made a bee line for me. I opened my arms and she walked into my embrace.

"I should think that my career at the Ministry is most definitely over, forever," she sighed.

"That was a bold move, and you weren't planning on going back anyway. You sang beautifully, my love," I told her, kissing her.

"Winnie, that was, breathtaking," Lily gushed.

"Thank you. It was the right thing to do, but now, we have other work to do," she said quietly, and we all nodded at her. Molly, Arthur, Bill and Fleur had joined us, and they each in turn complimented Anwen on her singing, but I could feel her discomfort at their praise. Nigel came over a few minutes later, and handed me Anwen's guitar case. She released herself from my hold, and went to hug him goodbye.

"Thank you so much for your help today," she told him. He smiled gently at her.

"It was my pleasure. Good luck with that baby of yours, and when we get ready to record again, I'm calling you to do a guest vocal," he told her, and she nodded at him. Nigel walked away, and was passed on the way by the Minister of Magic headed over toward our group.

"That was quite a move there. How dare you turn Dumbledore's funeral into a political statement," he chastised her. I went to say something, but Anwen had already opened her mouth.

"You had already done that, by some of the people that you had invited here. My job was to provide music that reflected who Albus was, and that is what I did. I'm sorry that you didn't like my choices, but it really wasn't up to you. Minerva and I had spoken about them, and she was very happy with them," she told him plainly. He grumbled something under his breath, and then he turned to look at James.

"I need to speak with your son. We need his help, public opinion polls are falling everyday, and the people need a hero to rally around," he said. I thought James was going to laugh at him.

"My son is only a minor for a few more weeks, so between now and I then, I have no intention of making him available to you. After that time, you're welcome to ask him for his help, but I wouldn't expect it," Prongs told him, and the Minister grumbled again, and then walked away in a huff. Anwen sighed.

"This is only going to get worse isn't it," she said, clearly rhetorically. "Come on, let's get back to the Manor and see if those children have driven Andromeda and Ted crazy or not," she mused, and then I heard her breath catch. "Oh, that can't be good," she said, and I turned to see what had bothered her. Harry was skulking away from Ginny, both of them looking as though their worlds had fallen apart. "Come on, he's being dumb," she said as she pulled on the sleeve of James robes. James handed Hope to her mother and the three of us walked across the grassy expanse towards Harry.

"Son, wait up," James called to him. "What happened? Where's Ginny?" Harry stopped and turned to us.

"I don't want to talk about it Dad," he said, but James gave him that fatherly look, and Harry let out an exasperated breath. "Look, I broke up with her alright? It's not going to work, there are things that I have to do, and I can't have her around while I do it. Look, let me get my stuff, and we'll head home," he said, sounding completely defeated.

"What things, Harry?" I asked him, knowing full well what things he was talking about.

"I can't tell you. Dumbledore told me that I had to do this alone," he said, taking off toward the castle again. We were able to catch him, and James stood in front of him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Your godfather asked you what things, and we expect an answer," James said, and Harry looked at his father, trying to decide what to do.

"Harry, is it about the Horcruxes?" Anwen said quietly, and Harry whipped around to look at my wife.

"How...how....how did you know?" he stuttered.

"You'd be surprised the things we know. One of those things, is that you are going to need Ginny's love to get through this," she told him quietly. He started shaking his head.

"I can't, Aunt Winnie. She'll be in too much danger. Voldemort went after her when she was just my mate's little sister. If he knows that we're dating it will be that much worse," he said, protesting.

"Harry, he already knows. Snape would have told him," James said quietly.

"Dad, then don't you see. I have to stay away from her," Harry continued to protest.

"Harry, you need her. The love of a good woman makes you stronger," I tried to explain to him, but he was shaking his head. Anwen stamped her foot down.

"Now listen here young man, my emotions are a mess from this funeral and from being pregnant, and you're not helping things at all. You need Ginny, and I have been waiting all year for the two of you to figure it out so that we could draw on the love that you share. I will not allow you to go and do something extremely stupid, just because you're frightened. That would be taking a page from your Uncle Remus' book, and even he's wised up and set a date for his wedding to Tonks. Now, go and apologize, and then get your stuff so we can get your arse home and get to work. She's coming to the Manor too, I've already talked with her Mum and Dad. Ron and Hermione will be along in a few days. They've got a few things to take care of first," she told him in that strong voice that all of the members of the Wizengamot were a little scared of.

"Um, alright," Harry said meekly, and he trotted off to where Ginny was with Lily and Molly, while they were trying to comfort her. Harry said something to her, and she nodded, and then threw her arms around him and gave him a searing kiss.

"Well then, guess we all know not to cross the pregnant lady," James quipped and Anwen looked at him with a stone set face.

"James Potter, I haven't forgotten **that** curse. Would hate for you to be unable to sit down for days now," she said, cocking one eyebrow.

"Sorry, Winnie. Damn Padfoot, your wife is scary," he said, and I knew better than to say anything right now. "Come on, let's get everyone home."

**Anwen POV:**

"Why don't you two go and put your things away in your rooms, and then get changed. We'll meet in the Dining Room and eat and talk," I told them, dismissing the younger two.

"You're not going to need us for this part, why don't Tonks and I take the kids home, feed them lunch and get them down for their naps. Anyway, I know that Tonks wants to get out of her Auror robes," Remus told me, and I smiled at him. They had settled into our house, it was nice to be sharing my home with my best friend again.

"Thank you, that would be very helpful. There are sandwiches already made in the fridge at home, so it won't be too hard for you guys. Just watch her in the kitchen, they're all Muggle appliances, and she's blown up the toaster already," I teased him and he just looked down at me and nodded.

"Come on, say goodbye to your kids, and then take as long as you need. I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, I'll make sure that they're fed if you're not back for supper," he told me, and I nodded at him. Sirius and I went into the Sitting room, and all of the kids were on the floor, playing some sort of a game with Andromeda and Ted. They swore to us that they'd been having a good time, and we took them at their word, and then we watched as Remus and Tonks each took two of the children by the hand. Sirius took the twins, and went through the floo, and then opened it up so that Remus and Tonks could get through too. He then closed the floo, and apparated back to the Manor.

"Here, change into these, you'll be so much more comfortable," he told me, and I peeked into the bag, and smiled.

"You are the best husband that has ever, ever been," I gushed as I took the bag and headed for the small loo off the kitchen. When I had emerged, I was in the soft sweatpants and my brother's hockey sweater that I liked to lounge around our house in. He even knew that I wouldn't want to wear shoes, so he brought me a pair of the loose woolly socks that Molly had made me. I waddled back to the dining room, and my outfit elicited some snickers from others there.

"Aunt Winnie, are any of those clothes yours?" Ginny asked me.

"Hey, I'm very pregnant, and feeling rather uncomfortable. These make me feel better," I said waving my hands over the clothes I was wearing.

"I don't recognize the logo there on your shirt? Is it a rugby team? It looks like a furry cow," Harry asked me, squinting at the logo on the shirt. Ginny was holding his hand, but his body language let me know that he wasn't really happy about it.

"No, not rugby. Hockey, it's my brother's sweater, and that's a bison." I pointed to the 'furry cow' on the front and then turned around so that they could see the 'HODGSON' on the back. "One of the few things that's big enough to fit me now, without being frilly and flouncy," I said waving my hands around. "Anyway, this kid's going to play on the offensive line, by the way his feet keep moving in there. Wyn will need to teach him to skate."

"That's bloody brilliant," Harry exclaimed, smiling at me for the first time. I made my way over to a chair, and eased myself down into it. I reached for some food, and started picking at it. James and Sirius sat down as well, and Lily came back in from the kitchen. She had offered to have Andromeda and Ted stick around, but they let us know that they were a little wiped out from spending the morning with six kids under the age of seven. Once we were all settled, I looked at the kids, and took a deep breath.

"Harry, how much does Ginny know?" I asked him, and his eyes flew open and he started shaking his head.

"Nothing. Professor Dumbledore told me not to tell her anything," he told me, sounding very panicky.

"All right, we're going to start from the beginning, and explain why she needs to be here," I said. Harry opened his mouth to protest. "Look, I know what you were told, but he's not here anymore; and your parents and uncles and I have discussed this. We're in charge now," I told him, and he nodded. James started explaining how we had started to question things when he had thrown me out of his head, back after the TriWizard Tournament.

We explained that we had figured it out on our own, and that we had gone to Dumbledore last year, and let him know that we would work together, or that we were going to pull him from school and deal with this on our own. James took over, explaining the big picture, everything that we knew, and what we had discovered about the last of the Horcruxes, the one that Harry didn't know existed yet.

"You mean, that thing in my head; the voices that I hear; the bad dreams – all of it is because there is a piece of Voldemort in me?" Harry said, his face turning ashen. Ginny clung more tightly to him, and his parents got up and went to his sides.

"He accidentally lodged a bit of himself into you, when he attempted to murder you, when you were a baby. He may not have known that he had done it originally, but he certainly figured it out last year, when he tried to posses you," his father explained.

"What?" Harry asked, and part of me was genuinely concerned that he was going into shock.

"Harry," I started, trying to talk in as calm and quiet of a voice as I could. "Voldemort tried to posses you, tried to control you, or force Dumbledore to kill you in order to kill him, but he couldn't. Being in you, in your soul, was unbearable to him," I explained. Harry looked up at me in horror.

"I'm that bad, that Voldemort couldn't stand to be in me?" The adults all reflexively laughed at him.

"No, child; you're that good. Your whole being is filled with such light and love that he couldn't bear to be a part of it. It was like you were burning so brightly with love and joy that it seared away the flesh from his being. There is nothing bad in you, Harry," I told him. "And that's what's going to save you."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked me, the faintest understanding of why she was here beginning to dawn on her.

"That thing in you, that nasty little bit, can't stand love. We're going to surround it with so much love that it's going to just bugger itself out of you. Your Aunt Winnie has done all of the work on this, and trust me, when she sets her mind to it, there isn't anything she can't do. Anyway, it's a hell of a lot better than what Dumbledore wanted to do to you," Sirius added, and I watched as the guys all nodded in agreement.

"What did he want to do?" Harry asked.

"No. You're not going to know. I couldn't believe he'd even think about it," Lily said resoundingly, and every knew not to cross her.

"Um, no offense here Gin, but why does she need to be here? I like her and all, but, well, love is..." Harry started, and they both blushed.

I grabbed Sirius' hand, and I knew that this would be something that we needed to explain together. I took a deep breath, and began the speech I had been rehearsing in my head for weeks. "Harry, do you remember last year, when I went..." I had to stop talking to get control of my emotions again. I could feel the anxiety pouring off of Sirius and it was overwhelming my already fragile state. "When I went to go and get your godfather back?"

"Yes," he said quietly. Ginny was stroking the back of his hand with her fingers.

"You know how I was drawing on your magic, yours and Ginny's?"

"Yes, we remember. We've talked about it. It was kinda weird."

"Well, yes, it was; but there was a reason for that. You and Ginny, you're like your Uncle and me. It sounds so trite, but, you're soul mates, just like we are. I just knew from the minute that I met him, even when I was little, that I belonged with him," I told them, squeezing Sirius' hand. A sense of love and protection pushed his anxiety away.

"It's true, from the moment I set eyes on her, I felt the same way about Anwen. I needed to be near her, even though I had no romantic feelings toward her. I just wanted to make sure that she was...safe," he told me, and his words nearly brought me to tears. _ I love him so very much, sometimes I don't think my small heart can hold it all in._ I looked into his eyes, and was lost there for a moment. Then I remembered that we were at a table full of people.

"After what happened, my going and saving him, his forgetting the children and me… I needed to take stock of my life. I needed to understand who and what we are. I sort of, imploded in on myself. That's part of the reason that we went away, to try and make sense of it all. While we were traveling, I spent some time with a Tibetan Mystic. Eastern magic is very different from what we practice here, and it was a truly eye opening experience for me. They believe and work with very old magics, the kinds of magics that we call elementals. They don't involve spell work, but instead with the connections between all living things. Do you remember when we taught you elemental magic as a child?" Harry nodded in affirmation.

"Love is the most ancient of magics. They have terms for hundreds of different kinds of love, and the ways that it connects us together. There is a form of love, where they believe that the couple were actually created by nature to be together. Their love makes their magic stronger. My ability to use the Tibetan language is, well, poor at best, but it's called _kha kha so so bla_ or what loosely translates to 'divided soul.' It essentially means that Sirius and I are one soul, living in two bodies. It's why we share magics, why we can feel each other. We could do it even before we were bound to one another, to a lesser extent," I explained.

"Yeah, we all know that you're kinda freaky strange there," he teased us, waving his hand at us. "But, what does this have to do with Ginny and me?" Harry asked, and we both took another deep breath.

"Harry, you and Ginny are like Winnie and me," Sirius said before I could, and he said it much simpler than I would.

"Wha..wha...what do you mean?" Ginny stammered. Harry was just looking from her to me to his father and back again.

"Ginny, it isn't a coincidence that it was you and Harry that I drew on, magically, last year. I could have pulled on either of the men that were standing there. James and Remus are, by nature of their age and our relationships, more suited to being pulled on. Their magic would have been stronger and more controlled; but it was yours and Harry's combined magic that I drew on. There is a reason for that. Even the colors of your magics are related, just like Sirius' and mine are. Let me show you. Levitate something," I told them, and I watched as they removed their wands, Harry made his cup lift up off the table, while Ginny made her spoon float along side. I concentrated for a moment, and then I heard the gasps. Ginny's magic was the bright green of Harry's eyes, Harry's had turned into the fiery copper color that resembled Ginny's hair.

"Before we were bound, my magic was the color of Sirius eyes, and his was the color of mine. I know that Harry didn't start out that color, his was more golden when he was a child, but it became an embodiment of the one that he loved, even if he didn't realize it. We've been waiting all year for the two of you to figure it out, and get together. Harry, you're going to need her love, not only to help you get that bit of old Voldy out of your head, but to sustain you through the darkness ahead," I told them. Ginny seemed ecstatic about it, but Harry's face contorted into fear.

"What if I don't make it out of this okay? What will it do to her?"

Before any of us could speak Ginny turned and looked at him. "What if this means that you will? What if I'm what's waiting on the other side?" she asked him, raising her hand to his cheek. "I've always loved you, even when we were little and we played together. I will always love you. I was made to love you, Harry," she told him, moving her face closer and closer to his as she spoke. His eyes searched hers for fear, but I could tell that he found none, when leaned over and closed the gap between them. They continued to kiss, and I kept looking at Sirius and his parents, getting more and more uncomfortable as the kiss went on and on, getting deeper and deeper. Finally, bless his heart, Sirius cleared his throat.

"Um, hey you two, I'm the only one who gets to inappropriately snog my soul mate in public. If you two don't cut it out, we'll have to have a necking contest to see who does it better."

I groaned and rolled my eyes at him, but at least the younger two stopped kissing. James cleared his throat, and then thankfully, changed the subject.

"All right. We have a lot of work to do. Winnie is ready to remove that thing, but she wants to go in one last time, to make sure that we can't get any more clues about where these damned Horcruxes might be hidden. We have to find Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem or crown, the Slytherin necklace. Then we need to deal with the bit that's in you, his nasty snake and the last bit in old moldy himself. I just wish I knew where we had to start," he sighed.

Harry reached into his pocket, and tossed something onto the table, with a rather large clunk. It was a grotesquely ugly locket. Harry then tossed a scrap of paper onto the table as well. "Maybe this will help," he said. Sirius handed me the locket, but I could tell that it didn't have any magic in it at all. I handed it to James. I returned my gaze to Sirius, who was reading what appeared to be a note.

"Whoever wrote that took the real locket. Anyone have any idea who RAB might be?" Harry asked, but I was having trouble hearing, as I too was reading the note that my husband was holding. Sirius' hands began to shake, and when I looked at his face, I could see the furrow in his brow. He turned as his eyes met mine.

"You don't think?" he asked me.

"It would make sense. I found the book in his old room."

"And, he killed him."

"That would be a good reason."

We both fell silent, and I looked over at Lily and James who seemed to have caught on to our conversation. Sirius was still trembling, so I put my arm around him.

"Uh, you want to tell us what the two of you are almost talking about?" Harry asked. Sirius' eyes pleaded with me, and I nodded at him. He broke his gaze and turned to look at his godson.

"I think that RAB was my brother."


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note: I know in canon there isn't really a reason why Sirius and his brother didn't get along, or why he turned on Voldemort. This chapter deal with what I think might have been the reasoning. The song for this chapter is: "Shouldn't Have Done That" by Depeche Mode. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and for those that do review, I have the conversation between Ginny and Anwen that I can send you as a thank you. I don't own HP...you know the rest. Mutt**

**Chapter 43:**

**Stop this ride, I want to get off.**

**Anwen POV:**

Sirius was still holding the scrap of paper, still trembling, still breathing heavily. My arm was still around him, tracing small circles in the upper part of his arm. I didn't want to move or do anything until I figured out what he was going to do next. All he was feeling was apprehension and confusion.

"He wasn't completely evil. He wanted to stop Voldemort," Sirius murmured. I leaned my head down on his shoulder and nodded at him. "How could he...after what he did to you...?" I wasn't sure if Sirius even knew that he was speaking out loud anymore. "Damn it."

We sat there for a while longer, no one saying anything. Sirius was getting more and more agitated, his mood getting darker and more volatile. I looked at James and gave him a worried look, I wasn't sure what exactly was going to happen here. Sirius then turned his head and looked at me.

"I need to go and run for a while," and he shrugged off my embrace, got up and left the room. When Sirius said run, he meant as a dog, so James rose too, and followed him out the door. I thanked him with my eyes as he was leaving.

"Anwen, are you alright? It wasn't like Regulus was your favorite person either," Lily asked me, moving her chair closer. The two teens were just looking at us.

"I don't know, Lil. This year has...it's like nothing is making sense anymore," I told her quietly, still feeling Sirius' unease, which was adding to my own. "You kids don't know what's going on, not really, do you?" I asked them, and they shook their heads.

"Regulus was two years younger than Sirius, and they were actually close when they were kids. They tormented their nannies and nurses together, and pulled pranks on the older members of their family. Sirius and James met when they were 8, and from what it sounds like, Reg got jealous that his older brother had a friend, besides him. Then when Sirius went to Hogwarts and got sorted into Gryffindor, all hell broke loose. For all intents and purposes, Sirius was disowned from his family. Reg didn't want to disobey his parents, so he shunned his brother as well. He got to Hogwarts, and was sorted into Slytherin like any respectable Black, and the rift between them was complete," I explained. The kids were nodding at me.

"He hated me from the day that I arrived at Hogwarts. The first night that I was there, Sirius and I sneaked out of the castle," I told them, and both of them got wide eyed and shocked.

"Aunt Winnie, you were a rule breaker?" Harry choked out. I couldn't help but snicker at him.

"My dear boy, my best friends were your Mum, your Dad, your godfather and Uncle Remus; of course I bent the rules," I replied, and everyone laughed.

"Don't lump me in with those three. I was Head Girl in my day," Lily said and I just looked at her incredulously.

"Um, lets see, I remember finding a certain redhead and her raven haired boyfriend snogging the life out of one another on Professor Slughorn's desk in the Potions lab when I went down for her to help me with my Murtlap dittany the end of my fifth year?" Lily blushed while Ginny started laughing and Harry looked like he was going to die of embarrassment.

"My Mum and Dad were making out in the Potions Lab?" he said, getting a horrified and disgusted look on his face.

"Oh Harry, your not the only one who can push a girl up against the hallway wall and have a go at her tongue," I told him and they both looked at me, surprised. "Sorry, I thought that you knew we walked up on you after the Quidditch match. Your godfather wanted to give you some pointers, but I stopped him."

"Thanks, I don't think I would have ever been able to snog Ginny again," Harry said.

"Well then I thank you too, because that would have just sucked," Ginny added, and we all laughed. With the tension broken in the room, I decided to resume my story.

"Anyway, we were on our way back into the castle, and I was ridding piggy-back on Sirius. I was really, really short then and he hated walking with me, because he considered me 'slow' because of my short legs. Well, after we told your Mum and Dad off – that's a story for another day, but you'll find it rather funny – we went in to breakfast, and Reg came over and confronted Sirius about me. They nearly came to blows in the Great Hall over it. Things only deteriorated from there. He'd do and say some rather vile things during the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch matches, but it was just trash talk. He'd glare at me in the halls, and I knew that there were some rather vile rumors about me that were passed around in the Slytherin common room, but nothing that really mattered to me," I told them quietly. I had never told anyone about the rumors that some of the girls a year ahead of me had heard, because I didn't want the boys getting involved.

"Anwen, why didn't I know about this? I was a prefect, I could have stopped it," Lily said.

"I could have gone to you, or Professor McGonagall or even the Headmaster about it, but it wasn't worth it. None of it was true anyway," I told her. I could see in her eyes that she was somehow hurt that I hadn't said anything. "Lily, I didn't even want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that what they had said upset me at all," I told her quietly and she nodded.

"Anyway, things got really bad once Sirius wasn't at school anymore. I had been moved up a year, so he was in over half of my sixth form classes, and he took the chance to torment me whenever he could. It was stupid really. Then there was that dumb Quidditch match, where he called me a whore, and I hauled off and punched him for it. Sirius didn't make things any better by coming and visiting and insisting on making people think that we were a couple, which we weren't at the time," I told them quietly, remembering those days and how lonely I felt because of his actions. "Then, in the fall of my seventh year, he arranged the attack on me in Hogsmeade. It was the first time that I really understood that someone could hate me, because I existed," I took a deep breath, trying not to remember those dark days after the attack. "He had been the one to use the Cruciatus on me," I stopped and got hold of myself again. When I started speaking again, my voice was once again strong.

"We didn't see or hear from him again, until we had word that he had been killed. A few years later, I started a file on him, while I was working as an Auror. We had gotten word that there was someone in France using the last name Black, sending information on the French Ministry back to some of the Death Eaters who were in Britain. King and I wondered if perhaps Reg was still alive, but nothing came of it. It's not like its a wholly uncommon name," I told them, and they seemed to understand me.

"I'm having a hard time thinking that maybe he wasn't all bad. I had hoped purging the house of everything that was his would make me feel better, when we moved in Grimmauld just before the wedding, but it didn't. I finally realized that I had to make peace with those demons in order to be happy. There was a portrait of him, in Sirius' mother's bedroom – the one that became our bedroom. I debated destroying it, like we had the one of his Mum, but I couldn't. It's up in the attic at Grimmauld place. I wonder if we could talk with it? Get some answers," I asked Lily, and she nodded.

"Probably, but Anwen, we can't go to Grimmauld, the wards will be much weaker there, even with the improvements Mad–Eye made to them right after Dumbledore's death. You wouldn't be safe," she told me, patting my hand. I laughed at her.

"Oh, you silly girl. I don't need to go there to get the portrait," I told her, and concentrated for a moment on the picture, and it appeared on the table in front of me. Harry propped it up in a chair across the table from me, and then he and Ginny moved to stand behind his Mum and me, as we all looked at the picture frame. Sensing that his picture had been moved, Regulus walked back into the frame and cocked his eyebrows, in a not dissimilar way that his big brother does, and looked at me.

"After all these years, you're the last person I would have thought would come to finally talk to me," he said, sounding as shocked as he looked.

"I don't doubt that. Um, I, we, Sirius and I, need some information. I was hoping that you would be willing to share it with me," I told him quietly.

"Who are the rest of these people? Where is my brother?" he asked, still sounding ambivalent, but not hostile.

"This is Lily Potter, you probably remember her as Evans. She was Head Girl your fifth year."

"Yeah, you're the one that Sev was all jazzed over," he said, and Lily nodded at him.

"Um, and this is her son, Harry and his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley." Reg's eyes got wide, and he looked directly at Harry.

"You're the kid. You're the one that the Dark Lord was so worried about, the one with the Prophecy. Wow," he said, nearly sounding reverent when talking about Harry. "Kid, there's something you need to know, about the Dark Lord. He's done this thing to his soul, and it's made him un-killable," he started.

"Yeah, we know," Harry started. "I found this, I think that it belonged to you," Harry said, reaching onto the table and picking up the locket and swinging it in front of the portrait.

"Damn boy, your shitting me," the young man in the portrait swore, and Lily gave him a stern look. "Look, there's more of them, but I don't know what they are or where they are, but you gotta find them before you try and kill him," Reg started rambling in an extremely excited way.

"We've actually got a lot of that covered," I told him. "Um, can I talk with him alone, if you don't mind," I asked everyone else, and Lily nodded and started ushering the kids from the room.

"Hey kid, if we don't get to talk again, good luck. He'll ruin everything for everyone if he isn't stopped," Reg told Harry, and I was surprised by this. When they had left and closed the door, I sat there, looking at the portrait, he looking at me.

"Anwen, I owe you an apology," he said quietly, and I cocked my head to the side, not sure what to say. "You weren't supposed to get hurt as bad as you did that day," he said, and I knew exactly what day he was talking about. "I only wanted to see you roughed up a little, scared enough so that you would break up with Sirius. But it got way out of hand. I went to Bella for help, because she was always up for fun when we were younger, but I didn't think that they would try and hurt you like they did; and I never meant for them to take you back to Voldemort, and let the Death Eaters pass you around like they were planning. It got way out of hand, and when you started screaming when I cursed you...it wasn't right. I didn't like that you weren't pure blood, but you didn't deserve to be treated like trash."

I was stunned by what he was saying. I couldn't believe that he had remorse for what he had done. "I really just didn't want Sirius to be happy. It was stupid and petty, he was going to get what he wanted, and I, well, I wasn't," I looked at him trying to figure out what he was saying.

"My parents had arranged a marriage for Sirius, when he was six years old, to a distant cousin. She was a year younger than him; but then, when he was sorted into Gryffindor, they didn't want him as their daughters husband. They had already been given the dowry, and Father didn't want to give it back, so they decided to pledge me to her instead. I had no idea until I came home the summer between my sixth and seventh years, to find Mother discussing it with Lucius Malfoy. I didn't want it. I was quite serious with a girl in Ravenclaw. I knew that I wanted to marry her. She was a half blood, but Elladore was beautiful and smart and I knew that if Mother met her, she would love her too. Lucius must have sensed that I would be willing to do just about anything to get out of this arranged marriage, so we made a deal; I would join the Death Eaters if he broke the engagement for me."

I was surprised by what I was hearing, but not really shocked. I looked at Reg and for the first time, I felt pity for him. He would have just been seventeen years old, in love, and he was being forced into servitude for Voldemort.

"I'm sorry," tumbled out of my mouth before I even realized it. The man in the portrait just shook his head at me.

"I have you attacked and nearly killed or worse, and it's you that's apologizing. I can see why everyone liked you," he told me, and I averted my eyes. "Anyway, I rose through the ranks pretty quickly – I was related to Bella and Cissy after all; but I didn't want to be there. The closer I got to the inner circle, the more repulsed I got. The things they did, the way they would kidnap Muggle born or just Muggle girls and...hurt them. It was, awful and wrong. One night, there was a very small meeting of a few select Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. He was giving them items to keep safe, dividing them up between the families, saying that they were important vessels and they should be guarded with their lives. These things, they could help him stay immortal," he told me, shaking his head. "I went back to school, but I hated the fact that I had given up my free will in order to have the girl I wanted; while Sirius didn't seem to sacrifice anything. I broke it off with Elladore anyway, I couldn't risk having her near the asses that I was associating with. My resentment and hatred of you grew, because Sirius wasn't there, I figured hurting you, taking you away, would hurt him. That attack was so stupid," he said quietly. "You were impressive that day, how the hell you battled off the three of them I'll never understand," he added, but I didn't know what to say.

"After that, I left school and moved back home. I found the book on Horcruxes in the family library, and read the whole thing. It clicked, these were the things that Voldemort had made and was handing out that night. I decided then and there that I would find them, and figure out a way to destroy them. I didn't get that far," he said, his face registering pain. I knew that he was thinking about his death, and I didn't want to push it any further. The door opened, and Sirius walked in, clearly surprised at what I was doing in the room. He came and sat down next to me, unsure what to say.

"Love, I think that you need to talk with your brother. There's a lot you don't know. I'll go back now, come home when you're ready," I told him and he nodded at me. As I slid the chair back, and stood up, I heard Reg let out a little whoop.

"I'm gonna be an uncle, that's so cool," he said and I looked at the portrait, surprised. "Hey, that means that the family name didn't die out."

"Actually, you would have been an uncle four times over already, this is our fifth," I said, as my hand went to my rather absurdly large belly. Sirius reached up and caressed it as well.

"Damn, all those rumors about you were true?" Reg said to his brother, and I knew that I really didn't want to know what rumors, exactly, he was talking about. I leaned down and kissed my husbands cheek.

"I'll be at home, waiting for you," I whispered in his ear. "Listen to what he has to say. Everything isn't black and white anymore," and with that, I left the room feeling even more unsettled than I had been when I arrived at the Manor this afternoon. _I wonder if we could just get all this to stop for a moment, I think I'd like to get off this ride for a while. _I walked out of the room and went to the kitchen, where Lily was working on dinner.

"Hey, are you okay?" she said, dropping the spoon of the cake batter that she was stirring. I always loved Lily in the kitchen, she cooked the Muggle way more than with magic. It was just another way that we were alike. I sat down at the table, and shook my head at her.

"Lil, I don't know how much more I can take," I explained. "It's all too much. Too many things are happening too quickly," I told her as she put an arm around me.

"I know, it's been a hell of a year for the two of you," she affirmed and I looked at her. I knew that I had to come clean with her.

"You remember when we got home, and you asked what happened to my hair, and I didn't answer you?" I asked her, and she nodded at me. "There's a lot about our time away that I didn't tell you. Lily, I kind of lost it while we were away," I told her, and she just looked at me concerned. "One morning I woke up, not long after we got to India, and...I just banished my hair. I used the same charm that I use when I have to trim the kids hair up, but I banished all of the hair off of my head. Scared the crap out of Sirius and the kids when I came out of the loo bald. Then, when I tried to fix it, I couldn't. My magic was so screwed up at that point that I had somehow made it so that I couldn't replace it magically. I just had to wait for it to grow out," I told her, sounding as embarrassed of the incident as I actually was. "That's when I went and sought out the Tibetan Mystics. I needed to understand what the hell was happening to me. I stopped doing magic all together for a while, weeks actually. My emotions were such a jumble that it was causing everything my body and my magic to fail me."

"Anwen, why didn't you tell anyone? We would have helped you," Lily told me, gently stroking my back.

"I didn't even really understand it, but now, it's just too damn much. Eira's death, Albus' death, this darn thing in Harry, the new baby, and now finding out that Regulus wasn't a bad guy, but actually a good guy." I put my head in my hands and could feel the tears falling down my face.

"Oh, honey, it's alright. Those pregnancy hormones make everything feel worse than it really is," Lily told me, and I knew that she was at least partially correct. I let myself cry for a few minutes, and then pulled it together to be able to talk with her. She summoned a box of tissues and after I got my face cleaned up I banished the mess I had made. "Alright, why don't you head home and check on the kids, and then have everyone come back here for supper. I'm making Steak and Kidney pie," I rolled my eyes at it, since I couldn't even stomach the idea of it in my pregnant state. "and some Chicken Soup," Lily added and I smiled at her.

James came in from the back porch and saw the two of us sitting at the table, and gave me one of those 'it's really going to be alright' looks. I explained that Sirius was in, still talking to the portrait of his brother that I brought over from Grimmauld, quickly adding what I had learned from my conversation with the portrait. James and Lily were just as surprised as I was. James walked over to the cabinet that he kept his liquor in, and grabbed a bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses. I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I won't let him get too drunk, but he's gonna need a stiff one after that conversation," he said plainly, and I laughed at him.

"Thank you, you're a really good friend," I said, standing up and turning around to head to the floo. "I'll be back around six with all the kids. Does that work for you?"

"That's fine. Bring their brooms, I think we could all use a flight tonight," James added and I nodded.

"Great, drunk, flying husband. You're a peach there James," I mused and then flooed home.

**Sirius POV:**

After my conversation with Reg, we figured out the locket had indeed been in Grimmauld, and we had cleaned it out of there. I knew that there were two possible places that it could be, either somewhere in Grimmauld or in the family vault. Anwen had cleared everything that contained any dark magic out when we first moved in, and then a few years ago, we had brought a few of the things back with us to the house. I wasn't sure which group this locket Horcrux was part of.

James and I went to the vault and looked around, but it wasn't there; which meant that it was at Grimmauld. We went quickly to the house, but it wasn't readily obvious that it was there, either.

"I don't want to stay here too long," I explained to James. "Anwen is going to go in and have one final look around that little bit of Voldemort that's in Harry today, and I don't want her to be alone when she does it."

"I don't want Harry to be alone either. I also need to keep a better eye on him and Ginny. I actually walked in on them the other day, in the library. He had his hands up her shirt," he explained to me and I grinned at him.

"That's my godson," I said proudly, but his father gave me a wary look.

"Could you please not encourage him? They've only been together for a few months. Just because you slept with girls on the first date doesn't mean that we all did," he teased me, and a pang of guilt passed through me. I knew how much that behavior bothered Anwen.

"If I could take it back, believe me I would," I told him quietly, and thankfully he dropped it. I closed the house up and we went out to the back yard, and apparated to the Manor. Tonks, Lily, Anwen and Ginny were all on the patio when we got there, excitedly discussing the wedding plans.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to sing, Anwen? You look so uncomfortable," my cousin said to my wife, and it was the truth. The weather had turned warm, and Anwen was nearly always swollen and very uncomfortable. It made the baby's desire for spicy food all the worse.

"I am quite sure, although I may end up doing it from a sitting position. The idea of standing for any length of time is not something I wish to participate in," she said. Even now, she was nearly prone on the chaise. I walked over and sat down on the foot of the seat, slid her sandals off her feet and began to massage them. "Oh, I don't think I've ever loved you more," she moaned.

The wedding was only a week away. It would be held here at the Manor, and the number of people would be very small, just the families, the Weasleys, Kingsley, Mad–Eye. No one else could get into the Manor wards, and we didn't want to adjust them, it wasn't really safe. Thankfully her parents understood, and were not upset at their choice. Kingsley had a good relationship with the old wizard who had taken care of our ceremonies, and he was willing to perform the ceremony, without being told who it was ahead of time, or knowing the location. King was actually going to blindfold him before apparating him in.

"Well, I think that we're ready then. I can't believe that it's finally here!" she squealed, and the rest of the women joined in her happy smile.

"I guess then, since we have all of that done, I should get going on this thing with Harry. Love, care to help me up here?" she asked me, but I knew that I could do better. I stood up, and gently lifted her, cradling her to me. "I can walk."

"I know, but I prefer it this way. I like having you in my arms," I told her, kissing her head. She burst out into tears, and I just held her to me. _After living through her first three pregnancies, I knew to just let her cry at times like these._ We went up to our old room, and brought Harry, James and Ginny. Anwen wanted Ginny there, she wanted to try something, to give her more information for the excising. I placed her down on the chaise that was still in the room, and went to sit behind her, and then had her lean against me.

"Okay, Harry sit on the bed and have Ginny sit next to you, and make sure that you're holding hands." James had gotten the desk chair, and was sitting near Harry. "Just relax Harry, and like always, if you feel anything painful or uncomfortable, please tell me, and we'll stop. Okay?"

"Got it, Aunt Winnie; but you've never done anything to hurt me before," Harry said, sounding rather confident.

"Both of you, I want you to close your eyes, and think about your magic being open, something that can flow back and forth between the two of you," she requested and they obeyed. A slight smile came across them both, and I recognized that feeling. "I'm going in Harry," Anwen said, closing her eyes. Everyone was silent for a few minutes. "Harry, you've done a really good job here, everything is very orderly and locked up well. You've been doing your exercises, just like I asked. Thank you," Anwen praised him and then there was silence once again.

"The door hasn't been tampered with, and the seals that I put in place are still here, as well as the ones that you must have placed on it, Harry. Can you unlock your wards for me, please?" she asked, and Harry nodded, his eyes still closed. "Good job, I'm going inside, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Aunt Winnie. If I didn't know you were in there, I never would have felt it," he told her, and Anwen smiled at him.

"Good. Alright, here we go," she said, and I could watch Anwen's eyes moving behind her lids. It was almost like when she was asleep, and dreaming. "Still doesn't know that I'm here, which is good. Things are even more of a mess, but given whose mind it is, well, that's probably a good thing," she snickered, and I couldn't help but smile at my wife. "Okay, Ginny and Harry, are you both open to each other?"

"Yes," Harry said; while Ginny replied, "I think so?"

"Alright, I want you to think about each other, think about how much you like each other and your favorite memories of each other. Harry, I want you to think about the door being open, and forcing that love into the hallway. I just want to see if I get the reaction that I'm anticipating," she told them, and both kids nodded at her. I watched as they both got wide smiles, and the hands that they were holding began to lightly glow.

A moment later, Harry's other hand flew up to his scar and Anwen grimaced. "Ouch. Hold on Harry, I just want to close and seal the door," she said, panting slightly. "Okay, ward it too, and I'm getting out," she told him, and then slouched back against me. "Harry, are you alright?"

"Um, I think so. That was...wow it sucked. He didn't like knowing what Ginny and I feel, did he?"

"No, I don't think so. But that's really good for us," she told him. "Do you need a headache potion?"

"I think I might," he moaned, still rubbing his head.

"Come on downstairs," his father told him. "You Mum made some this morning, just in case," he told him, getting up and moving the chair back. Harry got up, still holding onto Ginny's hand, but she wasn't moving.

"Harry, I need to ask Aunt Winnie something, alright?"

"Oh, um, sure. I'll see you downstairs," he said, letting go of her hand while still rubbing his head. James and Harry left the room, and Ginny was looking at me.

"I want to talk with her alone, Uncle Sirius," she said and I nodded at her. Anwen leaned forward and I eased away from her.

"I'll be fine, go see how the kids are faring, dear," she told me, and I started out of the room. I pulled on Ginny's ponytail as I passed her and she glared at me.

A while later Ginny bounded down the stairs, and came outside, and picked up Jamie from my lap and threw her in the air. As soon as Harry saw her, he got up and came over and wrapped an arm around her.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"I missed you too," she said, before she kissed him.

"Yuckie," Jamie said, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Go fly, Ginny."

"Of course. Let's go get my broom," Ginny told our little daughter, and they were off. That's when Anwen waddled in and threw Ethan and Evan off the wooden lounger that the boys were sorting their Chocolate Frog cards on. She sat down, and I went and sat by her feet, removing her shoes and rubbing them.

"What was that all about?" I asked her, and she blushed. "Oh, you've got to tell me now." She waved her hand, and I assumed that she was casting a privacy charm, and then she took a deep breath.

"Ginny is ready to be, um, more intimate with Harry, and she wanted some advice," she told me, clearly uncomfortable over the conversation that they had just had. I got a great big smile on my face.

"Lucky boy. So did you give her the help she needs? Is she going to seduce him, because that would be priceless to watch. Half the time, he looks like he's afraid of her," I laughed. Anwen got the most appalled look on her face.

"First of all, you say anything to either of them, and I swear you will be one lonely, lonely man for quite a while. I can make it so that your right hand won't be any help either," she warned me, and I didn't doubt her. " I also told Ginny that I wasn't sure they were ready for that now. Harry is going to be gone, for long periods of time, hunting these damned things. If they do this, it will only make the absence all that much harder on her. I know that to be true. I was only slightly older than her when you and I...being away from you was nearly excruciating at times. That being said, I then made sure that she took her own protection into her hands, because we all know that the darn spell that guys do doesn't always work," her eyes went up to the twins, who were both sitting on brooms with Harry and Ginny.

"I told her that if she needs any more help, or if Harry has any questions, that they could come to us. I'd much rather mentor them on how to build their bond and deepen their affections, rather than see them rush into something physical; but I don't think that given the state of the world, that it will happen that way. Sirius, if he comes to you, be a grown up, please. He's only seventeen, and he's carrying the weight of the world. He doesn't need position diagrams, he needs something more. You are his godfather, and he looks up to you so much. Please, please be helpful here. Remember how frightened you were when you started to understand what it was between us?"

I couldn't believe that she was begging me here, but I understood it. I nodded at my wife, and then moved so that I could hug her. "For you, my beloved, I will be the mature adult you want me to be. I'm glad that they have us," I told her, looking up at the young pair. "I wouldn't want to be just starting out, not right now," I told her quietly, and I couldn't help but think about the baby she would soon be giving birth to, wondering if the time was right for that as well.

**Anwen POV:**

"Sirius, I look like I'm wearing a floral tent here," I complained. We had all stayed overnight at the Manor, and now, we were getting dressed for the wedding. He looked amazing in his dress robes, me, I looked like a fool in the maternity dress that we had made for me to wear for Tonks and Remus' wedding. Lily's dress was from the same material, but she looked pretty in hers. I just looked ridiculous.

"You look lovely," he said, coming and wrapping his arms around me.

"No, I look like a giant explosion in a flower shop. I get the whole garden wedding thing, but really, did she have to pick a loud, floral pattern to put on a woman three weeks away from giving birth," I sighed. I looked downright silly.

"Love, you're absolutely glowing and beautiful. I look at you, and I can't imagine not being in love with you," he said, trying to make me feel better. I just looked at him with my eyebrow cocked. He let go of me. "Come on, let's go get the kids dressed," he told me, and we walked down the hall. He went into Evan's room, to help the boys get dressed, while I went to Emma's to look in on the girls. When I got there, Ginny and Hermione had them all dressed, and they were doing their hair. All three of them were going to be flower girls. They were wearing matching white dresses, with different colored sashes. Lilyan was pink, Emma was purple and Jamie was yellow. Even little Hope had a matching dress, but seeing as she couldn't walk, her Mummy would be holding her up front. Lily and I were the Matrons of Honor, James and Sirius were the Best Men.

"Oh, look at my little princesses. You all look lovely," I gushed, and they ran over and hugged me. A while later, we went down to the room that Tonks was getting dressed in. She looked beautiful in her wedding robes, and her hair was still bright pink.

"Good to know that my favorite pupil is still the free spirit she always has been," I mused as we entered the room. She turned around, and the little girls came over and she hugged them.

"You look so pretty, Aunt Tonks," Emma told her.

"Well, you all look beautiful too," she told them. A few minutes later, James and Sirius brought in the boys, and then went down to get Remus and take him downstairs. He was apparently so nervous that he had actually vomited this morning.

Ted came in and told us it was time to get downstairs, that the men were all in place, and we were ready to start. Sirius seated Andromeda, and then the procession started. Hermione is a fair piano player, and we had moved the Grand Piano out of the Conservatory, and onto the back patio. She was playing the Wedding March as we sent the boys down. Evan and John, as his godsons, were carrying the rings, and Ethan was given the job of carrying their wands. The older boys went and stood with their fathers when they reached the front, but little John went and stood next to Remus, slipping his hand into his godfather's. It melted my heart.

Next we sent the girls down, and they spread flower petals all over the soft green grass. It was very sweet, and as they walked down, they reminded me of some sort of a Victorian picture. Next Lily went down, holding little Hope in her arms. Finally it was my turn, and I had never wished that I could simply levitate myself. _I swear, I can't take this baby being in here any longer._ Sirius was smiling at me as I walked, but I was more worried about tripping and falling.

Finally, Tonks came down, and the look on Remus' face was amazing. I don't think that I had ever seen him so happy, and it brought tears to my eyes that my best friend was finally truly happy. The ceremony was simple, but very touching. I sang two songs, choosing to perform both of them unaccompanied. One was an art song that I had learned when I was a teen. I had liked to play it at home, and Remus was particularly fond of it. It went well, except that Edmund insisted on kicking me in the diaphragm, and I had to breathe twice as often as usual. The second piece however, proved much more difficult. It was a sweet song, all about love, based on a scripture verse. For the first time in my life, I choked up while I was singing, and barely got the last words out. As they said their vows, Sirius and I made eye contact, and I silently renewed them in my heart. I felt like I would explode with the love I was feeling, and that which Sirius was sending me.

When the wizard pronounced them husband and wife, and they kissed, James and Sirius actually cheered, and then the Weasley twins set off what looked like little doves, until they burst mid air, creating a heart out of fireworks. It was actually quite touching. We took a few pictures, but I couldn't stand being on my feet any longer.

Molly and Lily had done the food, and it was impressive the sheer volume of it that was here. Sirius planted me back down in my favorite chaise lounger, and told me not to move for a while. Hermione and Ginny were watching the children, so that meant that Ron and Harry were tagging along. I was surprised when Charlie pulled up a chair and sat down next to me.

"How are you holding up?" I asked him.

"Alright," he told me. "I'm sorry that I haven't been over to see you, it's just..."

"I know. I don't blame you at all. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. How are you surviving this and your brother's wedding next week?"

"Not always well. I resigned at the Ministry. Things are a mess there anyway. I'm going back to Romania, after Bill's wedding. But every day, I wake up, and I miss her," he told me quietly, and I could nearly feel his heartbreak.

"I miss her too. I won't ever forget what she did, and my children will know how she saved them. She was an amazing woman. I am so proud to call her my sister," I told him quietly. "Can I write you, once you've gone?"

"I'd like that. The letters that you've written, telling me family stories and such, it's helped. Look, I'm going to give my wishes to the happy couple, but then I'm headed home. A bit too much..." he said, and I nodded at him. I watched Charlie walk away, and deeply wished that he had indeed become my brother-in-law. But wishing wasn't going to bring Eira back, and I couldn't help but wonder who else I would be wishing for in the years to come.

Sirius came back, and gave me a plate of food, but I really wasn't in the mood to eat. I picked at the plate, and Sirius frowned at me, but I didn't feel like talking with him about it. Harry and Ginny had selected the music for this afternoon's event, and when they started playing the CD's, I was genuinely surprised at some of the choices. I, however, had made a suggestion for what song I wanted to dance with Remus to. Ginny let me know that they were ready, so I went and cut in on him and Tonks. When the song started, I could hear the snickers around us, but I just smiled wickedly at him.

"This song, from anyone else, I would have been offended," he told me, and I just smiled at him. "You're one irritating little witch."

"Oh, come on, 'Dancing in the Moonlight', this is a funny choice, especially for you and me. You are not defined by one night a month, no matter how badly you want to be," I told him, and his smile softened. He spun me gently around the floor, clearly not that irritated at the choice. "I can't believe that we're finally here, your wedding," I told him, crying again. "Damn these hormones, I cry over everything."

"Anwen, I wouldn't have ever let myself fall in love, if you hadn't kept pushing me to try. Thank you," he told me, and I just cried harder. The song ended, and Sirius came over to cut in.

"Moony man, what did you do to my wife?"

"He just made me happy," I cried, and Sirius took me in his arms, and tried to dance with me, but I wasn't able to get hold of my tears, so he led me back to my seat. He sat and held me, while I tried to get control of my emotions. It took a few minutes, but I was finally able to do it. We chatted and watched the children dancing and playing. I couldn't help but notice the way that Tonks was stroking and caressing her husband.

"I don't think Remus has any idea what he's in for tonight," I told Sirius, pointing at them. He had a slight laugh at the sight.

"Good thing to know those Black family genes are running strong in her," he told me, and I couldn't help but laugh as well. I wasn't surprised when King came over and sat down near us. We hadn't been seeing as much of each other, and I missed my former partner. We made small talk for a while, and then his face got very serious.

"Anwen, I don't want you going to St. Mungo's to have the baby," he told me, and I looked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

"This hasn't been in the papers, but people are disappearing from hospital. They're there one minute, and then they're gone. Several of their bodies have been recovered later. All of the people who have disappeared, they have spoken out about the Death Eaters or Voldemort. I don't think you or the baby would be safe, and we don't have enough Aurors to give you protection."

"Oh, um, alright. I'll talk with Molly and Lily or maybe Poppy could come and help. I should be okay, it's not like this is my first time doing this," I told him, my head making plans for what we would need to give birth. Sirius and I would have to talk about this, _Fair Garden_ wasn't open for Molly or Poppy to get in, and we weren't sure that we wanted to open the wards any more than they were.

After a while King got up to leave to go to the Ministry, but my mood was dampened by his revelation. My head was reeling. _It's another thing, another problem. How much more are we going to have to deal with? _ The happy couple left for their honeymoon, we had loaned them our flat in Monaco for the week, and then they would be moving into the gate house at the Manor. We were getting the children rounded up, as we would be spending the night here again, when Ginny came running up to us.

"Aunt Winnie, Uncle Sirius, I need your help," she said.

"All right sweetheart, what do you need?" I asked her.

"It's Harry, he's gone off."

"What do you mean he's gone off?" Sirius asked.

"Ron and Hermione were headed back to her parents' house. She's relocating them to Australia, and Ron's been helping her. Harry wasn't supposed to leave, his father forbade him, but he went anyway, grabbing onto Ron just before the Portkey activated," she explained.

"Great, so glad that he's listening to us. Come on, let's find his Dad. We've got to figure out how to get him back here," I sighed. _Is there ever an end to this roller coaster ride?_


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Note: This is a rather packed chapter, lots of things happen that propel the plot forward rather quickly. The song for this chapter is "Cradlesong" by Rob Thomas. I do so appreciate everyone reading and taking the time to review. It helps to know what you are thinking. You know the rest, HP isn't mine...Mutt**

**Chapter 44:**

**Our World is at War**

**Remus POV:**

As soon as I landed, I quickly went into the house. Hermione had been communicating with us via Patronus, and thankfully, she had been able to keep Harry at her parents house, after his disastrous departure, post wedding. _Didn't even get to really enjoy the honeymoon, because as soon as we got there, we had to turn around and come back so that we could work out a way to get Harry back home._ I took a deep breath and tried to calm my anger, Harry didn't need me flying off the handle at him, his parents would do a fine job of that once he was back at the Manor. I didn't even want to contemplate what Sirius and Anwen would say to him, if Anwen would even talk to him at all. His impetuousness had cost her dearly. Others were arriving rapidly, and I walked to the back door, and let myself in. I knew that her parents were indeed safely away in Australia, and they were expecting us. As soon as I was through the door, the apologies started gushing forth from Harry.

"Uncle Remus, what are you doing here? I didn't mean for you to come back from your honeymoon. Hi Tonks," he said, and I knew that my wife must have walked in behind me. This was confirmed when I felt her hand in mine.

"Harry, we were on our honeymoon for all of about 30 minutes. We got there, and then we got the Patronus from your father, telling us that you had taken off and that we needed to come home and make plans to get you back to the Manor. You have no idea how much trouble you've caused," I told him sternly.

"Wha...what happened?" he asked sounding concerned.

"Well, when you attached yourself to the Portkey, we discovered that the Ministry had made it so that your trace would activate whenever magic was used to relocate you. Your latching onto it, gave them an idea where the Manor was. The Ministry has been infiltrated, and as soon as the Ministry was alerted, so was Voldemort. Death Eaters showed up, and they were able to collapse the first level of wards on the house," I told him, trying to sound detached.

"Is everyone alright?" he quickly asked.

"No one was seriously hurt. Your Dad and Bill were able to restore the wards, and everyone else got away. Sirius apparated back to their house, and opened the private floo, and your Mum and your Aunt got all of the little kids out. They're staying there right now, until we get you safely home. There was an accident though, in the rush to get everyone out," I told him, still working hard to control my anger at him.

"Who? What happened?"

"When your Aunt flooed home, she tripped out of the fireplace, and fell. She broke three bones in her foot, but being as pregnant as she is, she can't take a full dose of Skele-grow, and she can't walk on it until it's healed, so she's laid up in bed. I will warn you, she's madder than a wet hen over the whole thing," I explained.

"But everyone is alright?" he asked, needing reassurance.

"Yes, everyone is fine. Now, Moody should be here in a moment to tell you how the hell we're getting you out of here. Your Dad is at home, and once we are sure that it's safe, we'll bring your Mum and brother and sisters home as well. Sirius is staying there to keep them safe. Oh, and you might want to think about how you're going to make it up to Ginny. She's livid at you, to be honest, we all are."

"But I had to help them, they're my friends," he tried to make excuses, but I couldn't bear it anymore.

"No, Harry. We had this taken care of, which I am sure that Hermione told you. We knew what she was doing. Your Dad and Anwen had come up with the relocation plan, Kingsley had set the whole thing up with his personal contacts in the Australian Ministry. Her parents would be untraceable in Australia. Ron and Hermione could have handled the closing of the house on their own, and then they could apparate back to the Manor or the Burrow, since they don't have a trace on them anymore. Harry, you didn't need to risk yourself in this way, you certainly didn't need to risk all of the rest of us," I shook my head at him, more frustrated than I thought was possible. I felt my wife squeeze my hand, and I tried to calm myself down. "Now that we're all here. Alastor, would you like to explain how we're getting him out of here, and why there are so many of us."

He started explaining the plan, and I was silently saying a prayer that it would work. _ I wish that Sirius and James were here, but they needed to protect their respective houses. Anwen would have been an asset in a situation like this as well, if she wasn't so pregnant. I guess we can only hope that having seven Harrys up there in the air will confuse them enough that we'll get him home safely._

**Sirius POV:**

"Anwen, as soon as he's home, I'm sure that James will send word. Why don't you just sit back and relax. Are you in too much pain?" I asked her, she looked up at me with her sad, frustrated eyes, and shook her head.

"No, I'm not really in pain, but, I'm not really comfortable either. Between my ankle and Edmund kicking the heck out of me, comfort isn't in the cards," she sighed sadly.

"Only a few more days," Lily reminded her. "Molly and I are ready to help you deliver this little one. Just hold out for a few more days. Let us get Harry home," she sounded so worried as she whispered the last part. I wondered how she was going to survive this; the time that was coming when we would all be living in uncertainty.

"Well, it can't come soon enough. I can't even get up to use the loo, and I think that he's decided that my bladder makes the perfect chair. Sirius, can you..." she looked at me, asking for forgiveness with her eyes.

"Of course love," I told her, lifting her into my arms and carrying her to the downstairs loo so as to keep the pressure off her foot. I lounged against the wall in the hallway. It had been almost three hours since everyone left, and though I wouldn't let them know it, I was beginning to get worried. _We should have had word by now._ Anwen let me know that she was done, and I went in and retrieved her, gently settling down on the couch with her on my lap. She gently laid her head on my shoulder and I wove my arms around her. _The baby really is kicking up a storm tonight. He must know that she's upset. _We sat there quietly, making small talk. Lily was attempting to sew something, but I doubted that she had made much progress, and Anwen was mindlessly playing with my hand, twisting my wedding ring on my finger. It felt like forever before the blue-white streak to come in through the window and land on the floor in front of us.

"He's home," the stag said in my best friend's voice. "I'm sending Moony over. Give me a sign when you've opened the floo."

"Oh thank goodness," Lily said, tears of relief washing down her face. I rose up and then sat Anwen back down, and went over to the floo. I sent my patronus out and then touched my wand to the fireplace. Not a minute later, Remus came through the connection between the two houses, and I immediately closed it again. "How is everyone?" I asked.

"For the most part fine. Harry is home Lils, and James is tearing into him. I wonder if that kid is ever going to learn?" he queried and I shrugged my shoulders at him. "There were a few problems," he said quietly.

"What happened?" Anwen asked, sounding afraid of what was to be said next.

"George Weasley lost an ear, but he's otherwise fine. Snape cast the curse," he told us quietly, and with great hesitation.

"Damn it, I knew that we couldn't trust him," I said, pounding my fist into the wall.

"Sirius, don't. I don't really want to be having to repair the walls around here. Don't go making assumptions until we've had a chance to talk with him. He might not have had any choice. He has to stay on Voldemort's good side, we need him where he is," my wife admonished me, but I was still really skeptical. _Once a git, always a git. _I looked at Moony, and I could tell that there was more.

"Remus, tell me what else happened. I can see it in your eyes," Anwen said quietly, and he went and knelt down next to her. _Oh shit, she lost someone else. Who? One of the kids? Kingsley?_ He took her hand in his and then looked from Lily to me and then back to Anwen.

"Winnie, Alastor was killed," he told her quietly, and I heard Lily gasp. I punched the wall again, and this time my fist went through the plaster. I turned to look at Anwen, but I didn't think that she had seen me take out my frustration on the walls of our home; she was looking down, barely breathing. I went over to her, and stood near the head of the couch. There were no words, just silent tears falling down her face. She was quiet for several minutes.

"Winnie, honey, say something," I begged her.

"I can't believe that he's gone. He always told me that he wanted to go out in battle. Tell me that he at least took one of them down with him? Who killed him?" she wanted to know, looking at Moony.

"They lost some too, don't know how many, but there were losses. Anwen, Voldemort killed Mad–Eye," he said quietly, and I could see my wife seething. Moony moved over, and I pulled her to me and held her close. Lily had come over as well, and was being hugged by Moony, tears falling down her face as well. No one said anything for a moment, and then I heard Anwen sharply intake her breath and she looked at me, somewhat horrified.

"Sirius, my water just broke..."

Eight hours later, with the help of Lily, Anwen and I welcomed our fifth child; a little boy as she had predicted. The rest of our children, with exception of Jamie with her blond hair, had been a nice mixture of Anwen's and my looks; but Edmund, he was all me. Same jet black hair, same gray blue eyes, same insatiable appetite to eat. He was happily suckling away as Anwen leaned against me, half asleep from being awake all night, and giving birth. We heard a light knocking at the door, and when I called to whoever it was, I was surprised to see Ginny there.

"Hey Aunt Winnie, Uncle Sirius, the kids want to know if they can come in and meet their baby brother?" she asked, and I looked at Anwen.

"Gin, give us about five minutes, okay? Oh, and honey, thanks for all of your help. I know that your Mum probably wanted to you stay home and help her with George..."Anwen answered, but Ginny cut her off.

"Nah, she was glad that at least I could come and help, since she needed to stay home and tend to George. She's a mess anyway, wedding in days, so...I'm glad to be here. We'll see you in a few minutes," she said, and then left the room. When the door was closed, she turned and looked at me.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"This baby doesn't have a whole name."

"Sure he does, Edmund Black. Sounds like a good name to me," I told her, but she shook her head.

"No, he needs a middle name."

"I don't have a middle name," I reminded her.

"You did, you just chose to have it removed, remember? I found your birth certificate when we were cleaning Grimmauld out. You were Sirius Orion Black. I know why you didn't want to keep it, but it's not that you didn't have one. I want the baby to have one," she told me, gently stroking Edmund's face as he nursed.

"Edmund Alastor?" I asked, hoping that wouldn't be it. Thankfully she made a face at the name.

"Could we sound more English or pretentious? Honestly, that's awful. No, I was thinking..." she paused and looked at me skeptically. I urged her on with a look. "Edmund Regulus."

"You want to name him after my brother? After everything he did to you? After everything he did to me? Anwen..."

"Sirius, listen to me. Your little brother was jealous of you. He hated that you found a new friend in James, and then he had to sacrifice everything, while you went on your merry way. What he did to me, he did because he was young and stupid and put his faith in people that he didn't really understand. I think that if he had lived for a few more years, the two of you might have found a way to become friends again. Turns out, the two of you share quite a few goals in life, after all."

"Winnie, I don't know if I can forgive him."

"Sirius, love, you have to. None of us knows what might happen next, none of us knows how many days we have left. Please, for me, find it in your heart to forgive your brother," she begged me. Our eyes locked, and I could feel the absolute contentment radiating off my wife. It was the most at peace that I had felt her in a long time. We were summoned from our gaze with the rumble of little feet entering the Master bedroom. Anwen laid Edmund down on the bed near her legs, and righted her gown.

"Mummy, Daddy, let me see," Lilyan yelled, running in holding her baby doll.

"Here you go, Ladybird," I said, lifting her up onto the bed. Ethan had climbed up on his own, and Ginny was helping John and Jamie get up. They all sat at the foot of the bed, staring at their new little brother. Lily had come into the room as well, leaning against the door frame, looking every bit as tired as we felt.

"Oh, he's so cute," Lilyan mewed.

"Nah, he's tough. Bet he'll play beater, just like me and Daddy," Ethan said.

"Momma, no feet," Jamie said, "no feet," she said adamantly. I couldn't figure out what she was saying. "Baby broken, no feet," she said again, getting louder. Anwen smiled at her, and gently pulled the swaddling blanket away from Edmund, showing his littlest big sister that he did indeed have feet.

"That was very smart of you, Jamie. Wondering where the rest of him was, but you can see, we got a whole baby," she said with only the slightest laugh in her voice.

"Eddie play ball with me?" John asked, producing a small ball from his balled up hand.

"Uh, no, not just yet," I said, taking the ball away from him. He pouted, but Edmund decided to burp rather loudly for someone so small, and all of the kids were distracted by the noise. They were all laughing at it, as were Ginny and Lily.

"Good one, Eddie," Ethan said, clearly proud of his littlest brother.

"Children, his name is Edmund, not Eddie," Anwen reprimanded us all.

"You can't possibly be planning on calling him Edmund for all of his life, really Winnie. That's just too much of a name," I snickered, and she pouted at me.

"But Eddie, really?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"We'll talk," I assured her, but I liked the name Eddie.

"So, did you finally come up with a middle name?" Lily asked from the doorway. Anwen looked at me, clearly leaving this answer up to me. I thought on it for a moment. _This means so much to Anwen, and I guess that she's right; Reg really wasn't bad, and he can't hurt us anymore, since he's dead._

"His name is Edmund Regulus Black. Kids, he's named after your uncle, and I think that it's time he meets you all. Winnie, could you do the honors?" Anwen raised her hand, and a moment later, the portrait appeared on the floor next to me. I lifted up the frame, and rested it on my lap, sort of sideways, facing the children, but so that I could still see into the frame. "Reg, hey, Reg, can you hear me?" A moment later my younger brother came sauntering back into the frame with a puzzled look on his face.

"I'm surprised to see you so soon. You weren't very happy with me when we ended our last conversation," he said, sitting down. He then looked out at the children gathered there, and had a rather shocked look on his face. "Damn, they're so close in age. How did you manage that?"

"Regulus, could you watch your language around the kids. You can't add to the swear jar like your brother does. Bought the older two brooms with the money from his swearing last year," she teased me, and my brother laughed and nodded at the same time. "I was pregnant for like three and a half years straight."

"I see, so, you're talking to me now?" he queried, and I nodded in assent.

"A rather wise witch reminded me that life isn't all black and white."

"But if it's not Black and white, where does that leave us? We'd be in some serious trouble, nameless and all."

"Nope, I'm trying hard to keep out of trouble there little brother," I joked back, and he laughed heartily at it. Anwen groaned.

"I see you've got the same sense of humor. We'll be hanging the portrait in your office, where your puns won't bother the rest of us," she said dryly, and my brother and I laughed. _Maybe Anwen is right. I guess he isn't so bad._ "So, we wanted to introduce you to our children."

"This is Ethan and he's four and he is a great Quidditch beater already. He's very smart, and he speaks French and is learning Mermish from his mother," I told my brother, ruffling Ethan's hair.

"Hey, is it true that my Mum beat you at Quidditch?" he asked. Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, she did. Your Mum was really fast on her broom, but she was much faster with her tongue," he said, and Anwen got a sly smile on her face, and tipped her head.

"This is Lilyan, but everyone calls her Ladybird. She flies too, but takes after her Mum in that she's all finesse. Ladybird knows everything about all sorts of creatures, mythical and regular," I told him, gently stroking her face. She blushed and waved her little fingers at him.

"Hello there Lilyan, you're a very pretty girl. Don't ever date anybody like your Daddy," he teased and she furrowed her brow at him.

"My Daddy is the bestest man in the whole wide world. I love Daddy," she said, crawling up in my lap and sitting across from the picture. "Don't say anything mean about him," she told the man in the frame very sternly. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Okay there little girl. Nice attack dog there, Siri," he said, calling me my nickname from when I was little.

"I can't become a doggy, that's just something Daddy can do," she told him, not understanding the reference.

"This little one is our youngest daughter, Jamie," I said, pointing at the little girl. She looked at him, and then immediately turned and crawled over to Ginny, hiding herself in Ginny's chest. "She's a little shy, but Jamie got her Mummy's musical talent. She has a beautiful singing voice."

"Hi, Jamie. It's nice to meet you," he said, quietly and calmly, but Jamie didn't acknowledge his presence. I just sort of shrugged at him.

"Hey, Uncle, um, what's your name, I'm John," our son said, and Anwen and I both laughed.

"This is John, and he's the most outgoing of the bunch. He flies as well, but we haven't figured out what he's gonna play. John also plays football, and as soon as she can, I'm sure Anwen is going to teach him rugby," I told my brother, and he shook his head at the little boy.

"And this," I said pointing toward the new baby "is Edmund Regulus Black, and he's all of two hours old," my brother's eyes got wide.

"You...you...you named your son after me?"

"If he could turn out to have half of the bravery and integrity that his uncle had, then I would be very proud of my son," Anwen said, once again finding the right thing to say.

"Whoa, that's...whoa. I don't know what to say," he told us, looking at the baby in Anwen's arms. "He's...amazing."

"We think so too. I'd love to sit and chat, but we've been up all night. How about if we talk more later?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere," he joked and the adults all laughed. Anwen raised her hand, and the picture disappeared, and I was sure that it was again hanging on the wall in my office.

"Okay kids, let's go and get some lunch," Ginny said. The other three scrambled off the bed, as Ginny continued to hold Jamie. "I've got them all day, and Hermione and Ron will be here soon to help me. Uncle Remus and Tonks will be here too, to help with the cooking, well Uncle Remus will, no one wants anything Tonks would cook, she burns the toast," the young woman said, shaking her head as she left the room.

"I'm headed home to sleep too, but I'll be back to check on you in a while, alright?" Lily said.

"Lil, thank you." Anwen said, her voice thick with emotion.

"That's what friends are for," she said before she left me alone with my wife and new son. Anwen was sound asleep within two minutes.

**Anwen POV:**

"Are you ready, dear?" I called to Sirius, and he came down the hall from his office, carrying Edmund in his arms.

"Yes, I am. The kids are all ready too, and James has opened the floo. Harry and Ginny should be here any minute to help us get them over there," he said. I was finally up and walking around, now that I was not pregnant, I could take the Skele-grow and my foot had healed overnight. It felt good to be up and moving.

"I've got the gift, so I think that we're ready," I told him, as we went down the stairs to the first floor hallway. The floo fireplace was located in the library, and the kids were already running around the room. Harry and Ginny came through the fireplace, and Jamie immediately ran over and threw her arms around Ginny.

"I missed you Ginny," she said quietly.

"I missed you too, Jamie. Are you ready to celebrate Harry's birthday?"

"Uh-huh. I want some cake," she told them, smiling at Harry.

"Well, then I guess we need to get back to my house. Ethan, you got your broom big guy? I want to fly with you tonight," Harry called, and both Ethan and John came running out with their brooms. We had gotten John his own training broom for his birthday, and he was itching to use it.

"Hey, what about me?" Lilyan called, picking up her little broom as well.

"Ladybird, we'd never forget how well you fly," Ginny said, giving Harry a scolding look. We all paraded through the floo, Harry going first, then all four of the older kids, and finally Ginny and then me, holding Edmund. Sirius was going to close the floo and then apparate over to the Potter's.

Before the party started, everyone gathered at the edge of the pond, where James had made a small stone monument to Alastor. His body was never found, but we felt the need to have some sort of memorial to our friend and leader. James had insisted that I be the one to speak. I handed Edmund to Sirius and went and stood before the assembled group.

"Alastor Moody was not only my teacher, but he was my friend. I became an Auror under his tutelage, and he singlehandedly taught me all that I needed to know. He was an eccentric character, more concerned with protection and safety than with the impression that he left on people; but that's what made him a great Auror. He gave his life for a cause that he wholeheartedly believed in, and I can think of no other way for him to have gone, than battling the forces of evil. There will not be a day of the rest of my life that I will not think upon his repetitive cry for 'Constant Vigilance' or remember his passion for the triumph of good over evil. May we all remember these lessons, and carry them with us, so that he may not have died in vain," I concluded, and we stood there for a moment, looking at the small stone semicircle with his name carved on it. Finally, James and Lily started walking away, followed closely by the small children. Others were moving away, leaving Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Sirius and me.

"We were all trained by him, weren't we?" King said.

"I was solely trained by him. I became an Auror in six months, and he was my only teacher. He was the only one that Dumbledore trusted my skills with," I told them quietly, taking Edmund back in my arms. I felt more comforted with my new son in my embrace.

"You know, he was happy with all three of you. Called you the brightest people he ever worked with," Remus told us, and I tried to smile at him, but tears had started falling again. Sirius wrapped his arm around me.

We stood there for a moment longer, until Edmund awoke, and started crying, wanting to be fed. "Guess I should get back and change his nappie so I can feed him," I said, shifting him so that I could wipe the tears away from my eyes. Remus and Tonks had started up toward the house, and we were following.

"Anwen, he's perfect," Kingsley cooed at him.

"Thanks there big guy," I teased him, finally smiling for real. "Actually, we had something that we wanted to ask you. Would you like to be his godfather?"

"Really? Anwen, Sirius, I would be honored," he said, sounding surprised and pleased.

"Good, because I couldn't think of anyone else," I smiled at my former partner as we headed back toward the house.

Harry's birthday party went well. Molly had made him the most innovative cake that we had ever seen, it looked like a giant snitch. Harry got lots of wonderful gifts, but it was obvious that his three favorites came from the Marauder's. _Well, the ones he's opening in front of people. From the way he and Ginny are looking at each other, I don't really have to think very hard about what she gave him._ Remus and Tonks gave him a full set of Defense books, the advanced kind, like the ones that we teach with...taught with at the Auror school. We had all heard of his desire to become an Auror when he was done at Hogwarts, and it was their way of supporting him in his choice. His parents gave him the traditional gift of a watch; his grandfather Andrew's solid gold and platinum watch; as well as the keys to his own vault at Gringotts. He didn't say how much was in it, but the look on his face let us know that it was indeed quite a bit. Sirius and I had talked about what we wanted to give him, and there was an obvious choice, even if he wasn't going to use it right away. I watched as Sirius handed him the small box.

"Two keys?" Harry said, skeptically.

"Uh-huh. One of them is to Grimmauld. Sign this paper," Sirius told him , removing the scroll from his pocket and enlarging it, "and the house is yours. The other is to an item that's parked out in the garage," he said, pointing to the outbuilding of the Manor that had been turned into a place to store the family cars. We all got up and followed Harry, who couldn't believe it when he looked in and saw a brand new motorbike sitting there for him. "Mine got destroyed too," Sirius said looking at Hagrid. I nudged him in the ribs and gave him a stern look. "So I've got one just like it back at my house. They're both enchanted. I'll teach you how to fly it sometime," he told his godson, and Harry ran over and hugged him.

"A house and a bike, guys, that's too much," he said, hugging me in a more gentle way.

"Harry, you're our nephew and godson, you needed two gifts," he explained, and I just shook my head at him. Sirius and Harry headed over to the bike and they were talking animatedly. Remus and I walked back to the patio, where we talked about the strange collection of items that Kingsley had brought over from Dumbledore's will. Neither of us really understood their significance, but, Albus was nothing if not odd sometimes.

Molly and Arthur excused themselves, taking most of their children with them. Bill's wedding was the next day, and they had left Bill and the Delacour's at the Burrow. The only ones left were Ron and Ginny, and Ron had to promise to be back with Hermione in a half an hour. Ginny had permission to stay a little later, but Lily had promised to get her home before her 11 p.m. curfew. Not long after, Harry and Sirius emerged from the garage, walking back towards us, still talking rather animatedly. They came and sat with us as well.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Winnie. I'm surprised, I thought you would have given me books," he said, and I smiled at him.

"The library at Grimmauld is still half full of duplicates of the book at our new house. You got books, young man," I quipped, and they all laughed. Ginny had come and snuggled herself up with Harry. She had confirmed that she and Harry had found some "alone time" in one of her secret "hidey places" yesterday. They both were smiling and touching each other far too much. _I'm glad that they found themselves a moment of happiness in all of this._

"Harry, in the morning, we're going to remove that thing from you. Before you leave the protections of the Manor wards, I want Voldemort gone from your mind. Okay?" I asked him, and he nodded at me.

"That's fine. Mum already told Mrs. Weasley that I might not make it to the wedding, and she was fine with it. Hey, congratulations. Dad told me that you and he were voted the new heads of the Order," he beamed at me. I wasn't quite as excited.

"Your father insisted that we do it together, but thank you. I just hope this means that you will follow instructions better," I told him sternly, and he shook his head, a tinge of remorse on his face. "Alright, why don't you two go and do some flying, but I want you to get a good night of sleep. You're going to have a busy day tomorrow." They nodded and took off, walking over to .where Hermione and Ron were playing with the children. Harry and Ginny took to the air a while later, while the other two bid their goodnights. I was content to sit and watch, knowing that tomorrow I would be working very hard to remove that thing from Harry.

**Sirius POV:**

Anwen let out a deep breath, and then steadied herself. _ I wish that she was waiting longer to do this, she's barely healed from giving birth to Edmund, but I know why she has to do it now._ "Harry, go ahead and drink the potion, and everyone else, just close your eyes, and think about your happiest memories of Harry," she said. Tonks and Andromeda had the eight little kids out in another room, and James, Lily, Remus, Anwen, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and I were in the ballroom, sitting in a circle. "Okay, now Harry, I am sure that this is going to feel a little, weird, but it shouldn't hurt. You're going to feel their love for you," she told us, and then there was this pleasant, warm feeling in the room, a little like I got when I was about halfway through a glass of aged Ogden's.

"Harry are you alright?" she asked.

"Fine, but you're right, it does feel, strange. Not bad though, like I'm wrapped in a nice blanket," he told her.

"Good. Okay, I'm opening the door. Everyone, no matter what happens, just keep concentrating on your love and friendship," Anwen told us, and I could feel the rhythm of her breathing change. "The door is open, and I'm down the hall. I'm going to start the incantation. Harry, are you still okay?"

"Fine, Aunt Winnie."

Anwen started speaking in Latin, and I tried to figure out what she was saying, but I really couldn't. Then three things happened at once, causing me to open my eyes. Harry screamed out in pain, his hand flying up to his scar. Anwen yelled at him to remain calm and for the rest of us to keep thinking our good thoughts, and then, the room started to glow. I knew from the color that it was Anwen's magic, but it was still impressive. Her magic made a bubble, and I watched as her hands seemed to be pulling something. Slowly, a dark thread appeared to be pulled from Harry's head, right through his scar. It spun and swirled much like a memory, but it seemed to slither too, like a snake. Anwen caught the thread in the golden bubble, and used her hands to close the bubble down smaller and smaller, until there was nearly nothing. And then, with a great bang, the bubble imploded in on itself.

"No one move, I want to make sure that it worked," Anwen barked, and we all knew enough to follow her instructions. A wide smile broke across her face, and she began crying. "It's gone. The tunnel seems to still be there, but there is nothing on the other end, just a large, empty room. Harry, are you alright?"

The rest opened their eyes, and Anwen slumped back in her chair, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. Harry was still rubbing his head, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain anymore. Ginny and his mother were fussing over him, Lily already plying him with the prepared potions to help him recover. I grabbed the strengthening potion, and helped Anwen drink it down, but I could tell from looking at her that she was exhausted. I picked her up, and carried her from the room to the combined chorus of thank you, taking her to our room to let her sleep.

**Lily POV:**

"I still can't believe that it worked so well," I told Anwen, we were sitting at the reception for Bill and Fleur's wedding. It had been a lovely ceremony, and I was watching Harry and Ginny dancing together._ It won't be long before we're at their reception. I just hope it's a little while before I'm a grandmum. I'm sure that they're having sex, I see it in their faces, their both scared they're going to loose each other._

"Thanks for having so much faith in me there, Lil," Anwen mused back, and I couldn't help but smile at her.

"It's not that I didn't have faith, it's that we didn't have complications. Anwen, I have never doubted you or your magic," I told her, and she smiled at me. It was getting late, and the little kids were going to be getting sleepy. Hope was in her carrier at my feet, and Sirius was holding Edmund. The other six were chasing after fireflies not too far from us. Suddenly there was a commotion, and I could hear Kingsley's voice telling us that the Ministry had fallen. Chaos erupted, but we were prepared, James, Anwen and Sirius had made sure that we could get the children home, should there be an emergency like this while we were away from our houses. Sirius put Edmund into his carrier and then drew his wand.

I grabbed both Hope and Edmund's carrier, and ran toward the lawn where the kids were playing. Anwen was already there, pulling them close to her. She reached inside her blouse and pulled out the charm that was hanging on the long chain she kept tucked next to her chest. She brought it to her lips, and it immediately activated matching charms on all of the children and well as myself. It would take us all to the safe room inside of _Fair Garden. _The only ones who could let us out were James or Sirius. _It was never a question that we would be the ones locked in with the children, and they would be on the outside, most likely dueling._

The children were upset when we got there, but Anwen and I were able to calm them down. The room had been prepared to let us eat, sleep and shower for four days without having to open the reinforced door. I had thought it odd when they put it in, now I understood the wisdom. There were two double beds, two cribs, and three sets of bunk beds, as well as a small kitchen and a table, and several couches, both of which pulled out to give more sleeping space. Anwen and Sirius had the foresight to have a television with a VCR in the room, as well as some board games, videos and books. A small loo with a shower was behind the only door. It wasn't fancy, but it was safe; which was the goal of the room.

We got the children changed into their pajamas and settled down. _ I wish that Harry was still wearing his charm, but he told us that he would be fine; and being locked in a room with eight little kids wasn't his idea of a good time. He's an adult now, I can't very well go against his wishes. I hope that his father keeps him safe._

It was the middle of the night when the door unlocked and opened from the outside. I knew that it had to be James or Sirius. Anwen had dozed a little, while she was feeding Edmund, but really, neither of us had slept. We were relieved to find both of our husbands coming through the door. After they embraced us, we sat down, and they told us the tale of the Death Eaters showing up at the wedding, and having to fight them off. They told us of how people had been tortured and cursed, and how the wards had fallen everywhere but here, the Manor, and Grimmauld. _Our men do a rather remarkable job of warding things, I can't believe that this is happening._ The Order was being squeezed for information about Harry, but fortunately, no one had any. It appeared that Harry had just fallen off the face of the earth.

"He's at Grimmauld. I haven't filed the paperwork, so no one knows that he owns it. It should help to keep them safe. We've checked on him and Ron and Hermione, and they are all safe, and Kreacher was actually pleasant about them being there," Sirius told me, and I felt better about the whole thing. "They're going to start searching the house for the locket tomorrow."

"Sirius, what aren't you telling us?" Anwen asked, reading her husband so well.

"King patronused us just before we left Grimmauld. They've created a Muggle–born registration, and Anwen, you, Lily and Hermione are at the top of the list of those wanted. They've put out a bounty on your heads," he told us. James came to hold me, and Sirius was holding Anwen. I looked at the room, where our three youngest, and my five nieces and nephews were sleeping soundly, wondering what their future would hold. None of us were saying anything.

"You two, go upstairs to sleep, we'll stay here with the kids. You look knackered, Winnie," I told her, and Anwen's face softened.

"Normally I would argue with you, but it's been a long day, so thank you. I guess we're in hiding, huh?" she said.

"I guess so," I replied solemnly. "Our world is at war."


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note: Hi, I wasn't supposed to update until tomorrow, but I found out that I have to go to the hospital to have some tests done, and I don't know that I would have time to update. The darned Swine Flu turned into Bronchitis which now appears to be pneumonia...I am not a happy camper. There is only one song for this chapter: "Ordinary Days" by Jars of Clay. I don't think that this chapter needs a tissue warning, but it will be the last one from now until the end. Again, thanks so much to anyone who is reading and please do tell me what you think or where you think that the story is going. Thanks, your humble writer, Mutt**

**Chapter 45:**

**Tension and Release**

**Anwen POV:**

I set my elbows on the table, moving my hands to remove my reading glasses from my face and lay them down in front of me. I then laid the palms of my hands against my eyes and began to rub small circles around them. I could hear Edmund snoozing quietly in his Moses basket at my feet, _I wonder if I should try taking him upstairs, and lying him down in his crib? Maybe tonight isn't the best night to try, Sirius is finally sleeping well, and I would hate to wake him._ I decided against it, instead putting a light warming charm on my now one month old son, and again picked up my glasses and put them on, opening the German spell book that I was working with. _I hate German, it's never been a language that I was good with, too guttural or something. Not fluid, like French or Italian or ancient like Greek or Latin. _I rolled my eyes, and went back to the translations. I needed a way to break the protections on the remaining horcruxes; we needed some way to track and find them, rather than running all over the countryside.

Regulus had been a great help, telling us which families were represented at the meeting in which the cursed items were given away for safe keeping. His portrait had remembered a vast number of things that had proven helpful, and we thought we knew where several of them were. Kreacher had offered to help find Mundungus Fletcher for us, and we were none too surprised to find out that he had sold the actual necklace. Harry told us that he didn't know who had it; but I had my suspicions about that story. The diadem had not been at the meeting, so Regulus didn't know where it might be housed.

It had been quite entertaining to watch Sirius and Regulus reacquaint themselves with each other. In so many ways, they were most definitely alike. They both had a rather odd sense of humor, including a love of bad puns. I had actually enjoyed just sitting in Sirius' office at night, after we had the older children in bed, listening to them reminisce about their childhood. At one point, I swore that Sirius would actually try and hug the portrait, he was so thrilled to be able to share these memories with someone. Regulus also gave us some information on why the Dark Lord was so interested in me, although none of it came as a shock. We had just decided that there would be no way that he could get close to me.

I had been inside the _Fair Garden_ wards since the night that the Ministry fell, I didn't even venture out to visit the Manor; although Lily and James were frequently here. I couldn't be far from Edmund yet, and I felt much safer here. If James and Sirius had to be out at night, Remus and Tonks would simply stay, or all of the Potter's would trek over for the night. The warding business had grown exponentially in the last few weeks, although truth be told, they weren't charging people for their services anymore. Their first job had been to restore the wards at the Order safe houses, and then moved on to other peoples' homes. They were also taking shifts working with the Order at night, trying to keep the attacks at a minimum, without great success. There just weren't enough of us -- Aurors, Order, others who cared -- to protect everyone who needed protection. We'd set up at least eight safe houses in the last month, staffed them with Order members, and they were all filled up as soon as we had the wards in place. I wasn't sure how many more we'd be able to create. We were stretched nearly to the breaking point.

I realized that my mind had begun to wander, again, and that I was still translating the same passage that I was working on over a half an hour ago. _Time to quit, you're not going to get anything done down here tonight, anyway._ I removed my glasses and left them on the book that I was working with, and lifted the handles of the basket and started to carry Edmund upstairs. I was surprised to find Remus in the Sitting Room, one small lamp lit by the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace. He looked up when he saw me in the doorway.

"I'm surprised to see you here. Why aren't you home with your wife?" I asked, entering the room and sitting down on the couch across from him, laying Edmund down next to me.

"She's on duty tonight, patrolling Hogsmeade. I needed somewhere to think," he told me quietly. "Anwen, there's something that I have to tell you."

"What?" I asked, confused at why he really wasn't just spitting it out. _Honestly, after this many years, do you think that its possible for us to have any secrets? _He sat there looking at me, with this pained expression on his face.

"Tee is pregnant," he told me, not looking at all happy about it. I still smiled at his pet name for her; and since I knew that this was coming from my dream conversation with Perenelle, I wasn't surprised. I believe I had actually told him about it, months ago.

"Congratulations!" I chirped quietly, not wanting to wake my own sleeping baby. "Before you start with old worry wart, stodgy pants, 'I'm no good for my family', mopey wolf-man act; I have a few things to say. First, we knew this was coming, so, I know you couldn't actually be surprised here. Second, you are going to make an amazing father, and your child is very lucky to have you. Of all of the Marauders you are the one that should nurture and care for a new life. Lastly, Ewan told you that you can't pass it on; and at this point he is the foremost expert on Werewolf infections," I told him, but I could tell he wasn't convinced.

"What if Ewan is wrong?"

"Look, it's only your saliva and blood that's infected; and only when you're changed. The infection is dormant the rest of the time. So unless you and Tonks are doing some seriously kinky things at the full moon, I think you're safe there, love," I stopped talking for a moment, and an image of what that interaction would look like passed through my head, causing me to shiver. "Okay, that was an image that I didn't need. More disturbing that Padfoot loving the blanket we **used **to throw over the end of our bed."

"Anwen, that was too much information," he teased back, smiling for the first time.

"You're not the one who has to live with him," I told him pointedly, and he let loose a little chuckle. "Look at me, you're going to be a great father. When is she due?"

"Mid- April," he told me, and I did the math in my head and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"We were getting married already, and well, we got caught up in the moment..."

"Enough said," I told him, needing him to stop right there. We were quiet for a minute and I looked down at my sleeping son. His little tongue was between his lips, and he was making the sweetest sucking noises.

"Do you ever get over the feeling of awe and wonder?" Remus asked me, and I looked up at him, shaking my head.

"I haven't. There are times I look at Ethan, and I'm still amazed by him; by the child that he's turned into; all of them. They're so different, and individual and amazing. I'm blown away by every day with them, and all that they are becoming, right before my eyes," I told him honestly. "I'm also terrified, Remus. If something were to happen to Sirius and me, I know that they would be taken care of; you and Tonks or Lily and James or even Harry and Ginny would love and care for our children; but I would miss them so. I don't know that I would ever get over the heartache of not seeing who they are going to become. I'm sure that I would carry that pain into the next life. I never knew I could love someone so completely."

"You've thought about this, haven't you?" he asked me, and I nodded my answer.

"Remus, I think that I'm going to send my children away. We'll either take them to live with my parents in Canada, or Ewan and Anelle have offered to take them to the house in India. I'm not ready to do it yet, and I haven't even discussed it with Sirius; but I don't think its safe to leave them here," I choked out, finally succumbing to tears that I had been fighting over this topic for weeks. "I just don't know that I'm strong enough to let them go. I'm too selfish, I need to have them near me," I whispered. Remus rose from his chair, and came and kneeled at my feet.

"Anwen, never in a million years would I call you selfish. Your love of your children is one of the things that gives me hope about having my own child. If and when the time comes, you will do what's best for your children; just like you always have. For right now though, you are safe. The wards on this place are beyond thorough. Come on now, pull yourself together. I think that you should be heading off to get some sleep," he told me, rising and putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. I wiped the tears from my face, and looked at the clock.

"Edmund is going to be awake to eat in another hour, I think I'll just doze down here, and then feed and change him before going back up to bed. Do you want to sleep? The guest rooms are all ready..."

"You know what, I think I'll head back over to our house, and wait for my wife to get home," he said with a smile, and I happily returned it. They had been staying at the Manor guest house.

"Good man. She's very lucky to have you, and so is the baby," I told him, and I could have sworn that he blushed. "Apparate from the back patio, it's the safest spot. Goodnight," I told him as he left the room. I lifted Edmund from his basket, and snuggled him close to my chest, and lay down, pulling the quilt that was rolled up on the back of the couch over us. _I wonder if we could just stay here until everything else just goes away?_

**Sirius POV:**

_Did she stay up all night working, again? _I wondered as I padded down the stairs. Anwen had never made it to bed last night, and I was worried about her. _I know that we have much to learn, but honestly, she needs to sleep too._ I opened the door to the library, and saw her glasses lying there, next to several open volumes, and pages of parchment. _I don't think she'll ever want to go back to using a desk, she likes being able to spread out on the table in here far too much._ I closed the door again, and walked across the foyer to the Sitting Room. I stood in the door and looked at the beautiful picture before me. Anwen was lying on her back, sound asleep, with Edmund nestled between her breasts. Her gown was askew enough to let me know that they must have dozed off while he was feeding. His little hand was resting on her chest, in about the place where her heart would be. She had one hand just below his bum, and the other on his head. They were wrapped up in the old quilt that we had rescued from the farm, shortly after her family had been whisked away to Canada. _ I don't think that I have ever seen her look more serene or stunning._ I sighed aloud at the sight of them. _How did I ever deserve to end up with her? To have so many children and such happiness with her? _ I backed away from the door, and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. It was getting quite chilly here at night, fall seemed to come earlier to the coastline than it did in the city; our days were still warm, but the nights let me know that colder days weren't too distant.

I wanted to do something nice for Anwen, make her a good breakfast; but no one would want to eat anything that I had prepared. _My cooking skills suck, I swear, I ruin toast and cold cereal._ I thought on it for a moment, and then I had an idea.

"Kreacher," I called not too loud or too soft. A moment later there was a pop, and the house elf was standing in our kitchen. He was dressed in a cleanish towel, with the odd necklace that Harry had found instead of the Slytherin locket around his neck.

"Master Sirius, good morning. What can I do for you today?" he croaked, sounding almost happy to have been summoned. I stood there looking at him. _ He looks and sounds like our family house elf, but this couldn't possibly be him. I don't remember him ever being pleasant to anyone, even mother and father, more -- oh what's the word -- efficient, he was efficient at having to do work._ The kettle started to whistle, and I shook my head to break my stupor. "Are you making tea or does Mistress Anwen want some coffee?"

"Uh, tea. Winnie's still asleep. Kreacher, what are you wearing?" I asked him, still shocked by his rather kept appearance.

"I laundered my garment the other night while the others were sleeping. Does it offend you? I could make it dirty again, sir," he said, but I shook my head.

"No, you like, fine. I'm just surprised," I told him honestly.

"It's alright sir, Harry and his friends have felt the same way, but Kreacher is happy to serve his Master and his Master's young friends. They have made great progress, sir," he told me and I nodded at him. He busied himself with making me a cup of tea, and then turned back to me.

"Was there something else that Master needed? I don't think that you called me here to make you a cup of tea?"

"Oh, yes," I replied, remembering what it was that I wanted from him. "Kreacher, Anwen has been working very hard, taking care of the children and helping Harry. Do you think that you could get us some scones or something for breakfast, Winnie really doesn't like a full English," I told him and he nodded at me.

"Of course sir, scones and fruit is what Mistress Anwen likes best, along with her coffee; however, I know that you do like your full breakfast. Would you like me to make you one?" he asked me, and I was surprised.

"Really?"

"I've already prepared one for Mr. Harry and Mr. Ron; they're both rather hearty eaters. Miss Hermione, she'd rather eat like Mistress Anwen. It would be no trouble sir, the food's already made," he told me, and I nodded at him. With a crack, he was gone from the kitchen. I stood there, dumbfounded by the turn around that I had seen in him. _Harry and Ron told you that he'd been helpful, but I had no idea just how much so. Wow. _I stood there thinking for a moment, actually wanting to do something nice for the old elf, encourage this new behavior in him. _ I know what he'd really like, _and I took off for the second floor landing.

I returned to the kitchen a few minutes later to find the table set for Anwen and me, our meals exactly as we would like them. Kreacher was by the stove, cooking away.

"I put some porridge on for the children, and there is cream and berries there," he said, pointing at the counter, "for them to add. They've both been charmed to stay cold." _I think that I could get used to this new Kreacher._

"Thank you, that was very helpful. Anwen is still sleeping, um, Edmund hasn't really settled into a schedule yet, so she sleeps when she can," I explained. "Kreacher, I have someone here that I think that you might like to see," I told him, lifting the picture frame up, and resting it on the seat of one of the wooden kitchen chairs. I gently knocked on the frame, and Reg came in and sat down.

"Master Regulus, I thought that they had destroyed the portrait," Kreacher said quietly, almost reverently.

"Nah, they just locked me away in the attic. I haven't seen you since..." Reg answered him, and then stopped.

"I didn't want to leave you sir," the old house elf told him through his tears. I listened as the two of them recounted their last night together. It was the first time that I had really heard the events of the night my brother died. _I'm more impressed with him now than I was before. I don't know that I could have done that. I wonder how much of that Albus and Harry went through to get that damned fake?_ I ate my breakfast in silence, relishing not only the company, but the quality of the food. Kreacher went to the far side of the kitchen, to check on the porridge. I was nearly done when Anwen came in, carrying Edmund with her.

"I thought I heard your Daddy's voice," she cooed at the baby, kissing his head, and then coming over and kissing my lips. "Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?"

"I did; I just wish that you'd let me stay up with him more often. You look exhausted," I told her, motioning her to sit down. She looked at her plate and smiled.

"Thank you," she said, indicating her breakfast. "You need to sleep more than I do. You're working all day now, I can catch naps when the kids are down," she told me; but I laughed at her.

"And exactly how often do you get all five children to sleep at the same time?" I queried, and she chortled at me. She turned to look at the picture resting on the chair.

"We're bringing the portrait to meals now? Morning Reg," she said.

"Morning, Winnie; morning, there little guy. How's my namesake this morning?" he asked, continuing to be thrilled with the fact that the baby carried his name.

"He's good, growing like a weed and eating constantly," Winnie stroked his face as she said this. _I love watching her with our children. It's simply perfection the way she loves them._ She turned and looked at me. "We may need to introduce bottles sooner with him, dear. He's eating more often than Ethan did," she told me, as I reached over to take him so that she could eat.

"Gotta take after his uncle here, and grow up big and strong. Can only hope that he gets my looks, cause if he looks like his dad there, well, Sirius is in the shallow end of the gene pool," Reg teased, and I shook my head.

"Here, here little brother, there's nothing wrong with my looks," I told him, and Anwen nodded her head in agreement. "He's gonna be a handsome bloke, just like me and his brothers," I said in a silly baby voice, and Anwen groaned. She turned her head, and looked surprised.

"Kreacher, what are you doing here? You look...well," she said, sounding surprised at both his being in our home, and his appearance. _I wonder which one she's more surprised about._

"Master Sirius called me over to help him get breakfast going. The porridge is done, if you are needing nothing further, I would like to return to Grimmauld and assist Mr. Harry. Shall I come back and help with the cleaning tonight?" he asked, and I nodded at him.

"Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you Kreacher," as soon as the words had left my lips, he was gone again.

"What exactly has gotten into our old elf? He looked, well, happy and clean?" Anwen said, most definitely surprised. I told her about what I had seen when I was with the kids at the old house the last time, and his behavior this morning. "Wonders never cease," she said and I nodded with her.

**Anwen POV:**

"If you need me, all you have to do is rub this, and I will know and get there as quickly as I can. The Room of Requirement will let me in that way, and if all else fails, I'll knock on a window in Gryffindor Tower until someone lets me in," I explained to Ginny, handing her the charmed necklace. "That charm matches one that I wear around my neck."

"Thank you," she said, holding the charm in her hands, fingering the rune. "You don't really think that I'll need to summon you to school, do you?" I paused to think about how to answer this. _ Hell yes, I've heard the rumors about who they've brought in for teachers, I know that the former Muggle Studies teacher has disappeared; and even though Severus is on our side, there is only so much that he's going to be able to do without blowing his cover._

"Ginny, I don't know; but I want you to be prepared. Take this one too, it's an emergency portkey, and it will work within the wards of Hogwarts. If you are in a dire situation, and you need to get out immediately, just bring this to your lips, and it will transport you here. This is the safest house that we have," I explained to her, giving her the second necklace. She rubbed the small stone that was on the leather roping, and then put both of them on, tucking them inside her blouse.

"Lastly, I'm going to shrink this box of potions for you. It's got the ones that we talked about in there, as well as some other useful ones. I used the bruise paste all the time when I played Quidditch. The box is half of a set, I'll have the other one here. I can open it and check the inventory and I'll know which ones you're using and if you need to be restocked by checking the one that I'm keeping. Look and see if there's anything in there that you don't know what it is," I asked her, knowing full well that there were some rather unusual ones inside. She looked at them, but nothing registered on her face, which surprised me. It wasn't until she lifted the last bottle in the box that she said anything.

"Wolfsbane?"

"Look, Voldemort has recruited Greyback; he likes to bite kids. If anyone is infected, you've got some on hand to help them. It's a generic brew, but should you need more, Remus and I will get involved and help the child in question," I explained. She just shook her head and put it back away.

"Aunt Winnie, you're worried about this, aren't you?" she asked me, looking so much older than her 16 years.

"If it were up to me, we wouldn't be sending you back there. Harry loves you, and for that, Voldemort will come after you. I know why your parents are doing it, but I wish they would just let you stay here with us. You'd be so much safer," I explained. "You're like one of my own, Ginny. I love you like I love my sisters...sister. I lost one of those already in this war, I couldn't bear it if I lost another one." Tears prickled in my eyes. I so rarely speak of Eira that when I did, the pain was nearly unbearable. Ginny leaned over and hugged me.

"I'll be fine, I'm used to taking care of myself; and I promise, if I need to, I'll get in touch with you. Thank you for all of this. Now, which room am I in tonight? I'm looking forward to the night with my girls," she told me, trying to comfort me. _ The plan was that Ginny was going to stay overnight tonight, one last sleepover with our daughters. Sirius and I have other plans for her, however._

"You're in the lavender room. You decorated that room, it's most definitely yours. Hold up taking your things up for a few minutes, the kids are all still down napping, and I don't want to wake them just yet. Okay?"

"Sure thing, can I go and raid the fridge?"

"Of course sweetie. Feel free to eat whatever is in there," I told her, and she got up and bounced off. _Sirius should be home soon with her surprise. I hope that he's not late. _I followed her into the kitchen, and just looked at what she had grabbed bewilderedly. _How the heck does she eat that much? Even when I was dancing or pregnant I couldn't eat that much._

"Aunt Winnie, do you know where Harry is?" she asked between bites of the sandwich she had put together from things in the fridge. I took a deep breath an contemplated my answer.

"I do," I told her, and she opened her mouth to ask the obvious follow up question, but I chose to continue. "I'm not going to tell you where he, Ron and Hermione are hiding."

"But Aunt Winnie, I'd never tell anyone," she pleaded with me.

"I know that sweetheart, you'd never intend to tell anyone; but you're not accomplished at Occlumency and if they were to use Veritaserum on you, well...you'd never mean to betray Harry. It's safer if fewer people know," I explained to her, looking heartbroken.

"You could give me the antidote for Veritaserum," she said hopefully, but I shook my head at her.

"Ginny, it's controlled as tightly as the truth potion is. If you were found with it on you, you'd end up in Ministry custody; which would be the same as handing you over to Voldemort," I told her, and she looked devastated.

"You really think that they'd come after me?" she asked, and I knew that I had to word this answer very carefully.

"In the past, they've gone after people through their loved ones. I can't think of a better way to destroy Harry than to hurt or kill you. That's why I've given you those charms, and why we've been training you in Defense," I explained and she nodded at me, somberly.

"You know where Harry is though, and you're helping him?" she asked me.

"His Mum and Dad, Uncle Remus and Tonks and Sirius and I know where he is; and at least one of us will be with him when he goes out on his Horcrux hunts, but I don't want you knowing any more; so please don't ask me," I told her, and she nodded in understanding. "Ginny, are you prepared if he doesn't survive this? Have you thought about what would happen if you lost him?" She looked at me, and her face suddenly aged a great deal.

"I've tried to think about it, but I just can't seem to. He's going to make it, Aunt Winnie. If he doesn't, I don't think I will either. I have to be with him, wherever that is," she told me quietly, and I understood her. She picked her sandwich up again, and took another bite, and we sat in silence for long moments. I heard a familiar pop on the back patio, followed by another and then the back door opened, and my husband walked in; followed closely by Harry. Ginny's whole face lit up when she saw him, and she got up from her chair and ran over to him. The young pair greeted one another with a very passionate kiss.

Sirius walked over to where I was sitting, and offered me his hand, to help me stand up as well. We looked over at the young lovers, who were still twined together. Another minute passed before Sirius cleared his throat.

"As good as sex on the kitchen counter is, the clean up is a bitch -- have to bleach everything down, and I really don't feel like doing it today. Why don't you two take your party elsewhere," he suggested, and they broke apart from each other, both turning red. I just rolled my eyes at my dear husbands bluntness.

"Really?" Harry asked us, looking skeptical. Just then Ginny caught on to what Sirius was suggesting and her eyes grew wide. _Seriously, these are supposed to be smart kids?_

"I'm only going to say this once, yes; but please don't let your parents know. Oh, and make sure you lock the door, the kids won't be down for naps forever, and dinner is at 5:30," I told them, and they smiled and took off upstairs. As the sound of their footsteps faded, Sirius took me into his arms and kissed me deeply.

"You know, some might call you an incurable romantic," he told me as he rested his forehead against mine.

"Only because loving you has made me that way," I sighed back at him, and I heard a small chuckle escape him. "There's so much uncertainly in their lives right now, both of them; they deserve a small respite from it."

"Yes they do," he responded, taking my hand and walking me into the sitting room. We curled together on the love seat. "Tell me about how the locator spell has been going?"

"I don't think that it's working. I'm getting just vague readings at Hogwarts, Gringotts and the Ministry. I think that there's so much magic concentrated in those places, that it's throwing off the spell. The only other reading that I'm getting is a diffuse light in the Southwest of England, not far from Wiltshire."

"Do you think that the Horcruxes could be out in the open like that?" he asked me, and I shrugged.

"I don't know, but it isn't like any of us can go walking into any one of those places and start snooping around. The easiest would be Gringotts, since we have such a fine relationship with Targnof; but even then, it would be dangerous. I'll keep working on it. There is something else that I want to try tonight, with Harry here. It's more ancient magic," I explained.

"You keep working those old magics, love," he assured me and I relaxed into his embrace. "Did you give Ginny the Potions box?"

"I did, and she didn't seem very surprised by any of it, except the Wolfsbane. It bothers me that she didn't blanch at the emergency potions in there, the ones that you give girls after they've been assaulted. I never found any evidence that she was...hurt...that way by Tom her first year, but at the same time, she should have been surprised or upset, or something at that potion being there," I told Sirius and he rubbed my arm and back.

"Ginny isn't immature or stupid, love. I just think that maybe she understands the way the Death Eaters work. Do you really think that they're going to need them? Shouldn't Hogwarts be safe? Minerva is there, so are Filius and Poppy; and I wouldn't mess with Hagrid," he said, wanting to believe that there would still be a safe haven in all of this.

"I don't know. King said that he had heard rumors that several Death Eaters were being given teaching positions; if that's true, then all bets are off. Severus will have to keep his cover with them around, so..." I didn't want to finish the thought. _They'd make Delores Umbridge look like a saint._

"You've done what you can. Maybe most parents won't send their children back," he suggested, but we knew that attendance was considered mandatory now.

Dinner was quite fun, and having Harry and Ginny there with the kids certainly lightened the mood in the house. After dinner, they all went flying, Harry and Ginny using Sirius' and my brooms. Sirius was roasting marshmallows by the small fire that he had built in the fire pit by the edge of the lawn, and the kids were getting the sticky goo all over themselves. Harry walked over to the chair that I was in, letting Edmund finish his bottle up.

"Aunt Winnie, thank you. I was missing Ginny so much," he told me, and I smiled with understanding at him.

"Your godfather and I knew that you were. It's not going to be easy on either of you, being apart; but you can't dwell on it Harry. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can be together," I reminded him.

"I know. Have you had any luck in locating the rest of them?" he asked, and I knew what he was talking about, even though he hadn't said it out loud.

"Not really. Tonight I want to try a different locator spell with you here. I'll need to draw a little blood too, and we need you to take your binding potion as well. It's time again," I explained. We were all taking a monthly dose, just to be safe.

"Yeah, yeah. Have you found any way to make it taste any better?" he asked. I shook my head, and he groaned. "It's like swallowing rotten fish."

"I know, but, if it saves your life.."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Are the kids all being bound too?" I nodded at him.

"They are, but I slip their potions into their morning juice, so they don't know that they're taking it," I explained to him, and he looked incredulous.

"Why can't I do that?"

"Because, you're a lot larger than a toddler, and when you dilute it in juice, it weakens the potion. You'd have to drink twice as much of it." He curled his lip up and rolled his eyes. "Go on, spend some time with your girlfriend; Sirius has to take her back home right after breakfast in the morning," and he got up and trotted off to where Ginny was sitting with Jamie on her lap and Lilyan curled up against her.

Not long after, I got all the kids upstairs, and bathed them and settled them into their rooms. Harry and Ginny disappeared into her room, and we heard nothing else from them. _Thank the Lord for silencing charms._ I fed Edmund one last time, and then took and laid him down in his crib, in his own room. Our house was quiet as I made my way back to our bedroom.

"Everyone is out for the night, even Edmund, in his own room for the first time," I announced as I climbed into the bed next to my husband. Sirius was clad only in his boxers, and my breath caught as I looked at him. I ran my hand over the tattoo over his heart, the one with my name on it; and the ring of pups that went around his arm with the names of our children under them. My fingers trailed down his chest and abdomen to my favorite tattoo, one of his first -- Padfoot swimming in the beautiful lake. Sirius put his hand on the back of my head and pulled me to him for a searing kiss. I lifted my hand away from him to seal the door and silence the room, and then returned my full attention to him.

He kissed his way down my neck, and then removing my nightgown; down between my breasts. I was thankful that I didn't have to remind him that I was still breast-feeding Edmund, because that would have been awkward and mood killing. He rolled me onto my stomach, and pulled my hair aside and began to kiss his way down my back, and when he finally reached my Griffin tattoo, his tongue did a dance there.

I felt him cover me with his body, and the strong muscles of his chest moved against my back. His arms encircled me as we moved together. It felt like it had been forever since we had been like this, and I was so thankful to again be one with him. _This is home, this is the safest place I've ever been._


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: Things start moving very quickly in this chapter, and you'll find that the story takes the biggest deviations from book seven starting now. Many of the exploits are still there, but they're slightly different. I will also give you a major tissue warning for the end of this chapter -- keep the box handy. There are three songs for this chapter: "Christmas Eve 12/24" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Wintersong" by Sarah MacLachlan and "Three Babies" by Sinead O'Connor. Again, my deep thanks to everyone who is reading and to those of you reviewing. Mutt  
**

**Chapter 46:**

**Goodbye**

**Anwen POV:**

"What the hell is going on up there? How are they using that much Wound Healing Potion and Murtlap Essence?" I asked Sirius, it was the third time this week that I was replacing the stocks in Ginny's Potions Box. "Yesterday I had to put in more Bruise Paste and Skele-Gro. Hell, they've even used two of the bezoars that I put in there!" Sirius looked up from the Daily Prophet.

"I don't know dear, maybe one of us needs to go up there?"

"I don't want to go just yet, but...I wish there was a way that I could get in touch with Minerva or Poppy," I sighed, scribbling a list to myself of Potions that I would need Lily or Remus to brew for me. "I think I'm going to add the Fire Protection Potion to the kit, the Burn healing paste takes so long to make, and I've had to send five jars up already. It is only the beginning of October, right?"

"Yes dear, it is. I know that you're worried about Ginny, but if things are still being taken from the box, she must be all right," he tried to reassure me. I shrugged my shoulders, and went back to my inventory. "I'm going to go and relieve James later. The kids are camping in the Welsh countryside. I got a Patronus from Prongs this morning; they're actually not far from the safe house that they lived in back during the first war. Do you think that anyone lives there now?" I thought about it for a minute, and then shook my head.

"I doubt it. The place was owned by the Potter family, even though no one had lived there for years. It'll need to be re-warded, but there were only a handful of us who knew about it the first time. It'd be better than living out the a tent all winter, plus we'd have a way of getting in touch with whomever was on watch with the kids," I told him and he nodded at me.

"Before I go out to relieve James, I'll stop by and give the place a good look and warding job. I'm sure it'll need to be cleaned, and the kitchen stocked; but at least it would be warmer and drier," he told me and I agreed with him.

"See if they'll let you bring the necklace back with you, I want to try a few things on it," I told him and he looked at me skeptically.

"I doubt that'll happen. Harry is really protective of the damned thing, having stolen it from the Ministry and all," he said with a chuckle in his voice. _Yes, I remember that experience, all of the sudden I couldn't find them, then I get a Patronus from King telling me that he saw Harry's Patronus in the Ministry, and Kreacher flipping out because they never came home. Took Sirius days to convince them that they were all fine. I was able to track them magically, and when James went to them, he gave Harry a rather profound chewing out; and then let them know that one of us was going to be with them for the rest of their hunt. They don't have to do this alone, that's what family is for._

"Try and convince them to let me look at it, or I will come out of hiding to go and look at it, wherever they are," I told him firmly.

"Hey, I wouldn't argue with you, but this is Harry we're talking about. He doesn't know just how feisty you can be," he said, making me roll my eyes at him. _ Yeah, you like that feisty side of me love. _"Who's coming over while I'm gone?"

"Tonks and Remus," I sighed, rolling my eyes again. "I'm not helpless Sirius, I used to be an Auror, and a damned good one at that."

"You still are, but we have five children, and if something were to happen, I'd feel better knowing that there were other full grown magical people here to help you protect them," he said, getting up and coming over to me. He lifted me up from the chair, and held me to him. "If anything happened to you or the children, I don't know what I'd do. You are my entire world, Anwen. Please, humor me when I'm away like this."

"Fine, but only because you asked so nicely," I replied and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss me. I wasn't ready to let him go, but he broke our embrace anyway. "I really should go and get ready to leave. I'll send a Patronus home tonight, and I'll take my mirror, if you need to get in touch with me quickly. Hey, I wonder if those things would work like telephones?"

"Why would you ask something like that?" I called after him as he was leaving the room.

"Well, we'd be able to have phone sex while I was away. I was reading about it in a Muggle magazine, and it sounds, interesting," he called back, waggling his eyebrows at me. I didn't even know how to respond to that. _Good to know that even in the midst of war and strife, his libido is just fine. Yes, that's my husband; damn, I'm so proud._ I added sarcastically in my head.

**Sirius POV:**

"What do you mean he's gone?" she shrieked at me, again._ God, Anwen, do you have to yell so loud?_

"Exactly what I said, dear. Ron is gone, he lost his temper, Harry lost his, there was an argument, and now he's gone," I explained to her for the third time tonight. I had just gotten back after being with the kids for two days. Remus had taken over, and James and Lily were on their way over here to discuss this latest development.

"Did you get in touch with Molly and Arthur to ask if they knew where he was?" she asked me, and I cocked an eyebrow at her. _Are you crazy, love?_

"No, Anwen, I didn't. I do not relish the idea of going over to the Burrow and telling Molly Weasley that her youngest son has run away, from running away," I told her as calmly as I could. _ Anwen, darling, Molly scares the shit out of me. _ As if on cue, James, Lily and the kids came cascading out of the floo fireplace. I had opened the connection a few minutes ago, and once they were all in the hallway, I sealed it again. Lily got the kids settled, and we all went into the Library to talk. Anwen carried the large mirror that she used to monitor the playroom in with her.

"Please, let's start again at the beginning," Lily asked, and I started the story again.

"I went to the old safe house to check on it, and it was fine, so I strengthened the wards, adding a new Fidelius to it, and making myself the secret keeper. Then I apparated to the general area that Prongs had told me they were camping in. I sent off my Patronus, and yours came out and walked me to the edge of the camp's wards, where you came out to meet me. Prongs said goodbye to the kids, and promised that he would be over to the safe house to see us in a few days; we'd already made promises for some warding jobs that had to be done," I explained and Lily nodded at me.

"I already know this part, and the part where you heard Ted and the others talking. James told me, get to where Ron left," she pestered.

"We settled in for the night, well, at least I thought that we had. Harry was going to take the first watch, and then wake me for the second. When I woke up, he told me that he and Ron had a fight about, well, everything; and that he'd stormed off. I got up and went looking for him, but I couldn't find anything in the pitch black, and I needed to make sure that I didn't run into any other folks wandering in the woods. When day broke, I went looking for him again; even tried to activate the locator that Anwen had put on him, but he must have been out of range. It's tied to her more than me anyway. The little river we were camped by was beginning to go over it's banks, and we heard more people in the woods; so we packed everything up and I took them to the safe house. Hermione went up to the guest room, and she hasn't left there in two days, except to go to the loo. Harry's sulking again as well. I'm hoping that Anwen can use her sight to find him, or at least ensure that he hasn't been captured by Death Eaters," I said, looking at my wife. She nodded at me, and reached for my hand as she closed her eyes. I knew that she would need to draw magic from me to stretch her vision that far.

"Well, he's not at home. I can only find Molly, Arthur and one of the twins there right now--can't ever tell which one it is, their magic is nearly identical. He's not at the shop on Diagon Alley either, the other twin is there. He's not anywhere on Diagon Alley, in fact, there's almost no one there, or at the Leaky Cauldron. He isn't in Hogsmeade, but it's nearly deserted as well. I suppose that he could have gone to Hogwarts, and be hiding there; but I can't see clearly into the wards. I'm sure that he could hide in Gryffindor tower without any problems, but I would hate for him to run into Ginny if he did," she teased while fake shuttering. "He might have wished that he had to deal with Death Eaters, rather than her if she finds out the he left Harry and Hermione."

She took another deep breath, and I watched her eyes moving beneath her eyelids. "Um, I think that I may have found him. It's hard to pinpoint his magic, wherever he is, the place is under a Fidelius charm. What's in Cornwall?" she asked, and I looked at James.

"Bill's place. Brave choice going there, but at least Ginny won't find out that way. Should we go and bring him back?" James asked, but Anwen and Lily both started shaking their heads.

"No, let him try and find his way back on his own. For now, the kids are safe and dry, let Ron stew in his own turmoil for a while," Lily said, venom tickling her voice.

"I'll send Hermione a Patronus in a little while, let her know that we've found him, and that he's okay. That should help her some, but I don't want her telling Harry. He needs to learn to control that temper of his," James said, and I knew not to get in the way of his parents when they were trying to teach Harry a lesson. After a moment, I opened my mouth.

"I have one other bit of news; they want to go to the house in Godric's Hollow." No one took a breath when I said this.

"No!" Lily screamed at him. "He isn't going back there, none of us are. Ever!" James reached over to take her hand, but she pulled it away. "I still have nightmares about that place, James Andrew Potter. I thought that he had killed you, and I had to stand there and wait for him to attack me, to get at our baby son. No, we're not going there. Harry doesn't remember those days, and I don't want him to; he saw me struck with the curse..." she said softening, tears coming to her eyes, "...no child should ever have to remember their mother being killed."

Anwen stood and went over to Lily and put her arm around her. "Lil, I know that's how you feel; but there must be a reason that Harry wants to go back there. Can we just listen to the reasoning? If it would make you feel better, Sirius and I can take the kids there, if there's a valid reason for it," Anwen concluded, but I felt like yelling at her. _Honey, I don't want to go there either. Those are some of my most horrid memories of the first war -- I thought I had lost everyone that day._

"Winnie, he was just a baby..." Lily whimpered, pulling my wife into a strong hug.

"I know Lil, I know; but he's not anymore," Anwen responded, holding her best friend. "Sirius, why does he want to go?"

"He thinks that there might be a clue there, something about where the Horcruxes might be hidden. I also think that he's trying to understand...he gets that it's him that's going to end this, but he really wants to understand how it started," I told them quietly. _Harry and I have talked about this, something that he wasn't comfortable doing with his parents. His head knows about the prophecy but his heart is trying to wrap around the idea that he has to kill someone._

"Why there? Why does he want to go there?" Prongs asked, looking at me not as Harry's godfather, but as his lifelong friend. I struggled with what to tell him: answer him honestly and betray Harry's confidence, or be faithful to the conversation that Harry and I had recently had and not tell my best friend the whole story? I took a deep breath, and looked at Anwen; knowing that she would understand my conflict without saying anything to her. A slight tilt of her head and flutter of her eyelids was all that I needed to give me the strength to continue.

"I can't tell you everything, he's asked me not to and I won't betray his confidence, even to you," I told him and while I could see the hurt flash through his eyes, I also knew that he understood and was thankful that Harry had chosen to speak with someone about his troubles. "I think that all of this research into who Tom Riddle was, and how he became this monster has made Harry question how he became who he is. While what happened in Godric's Hollow is hard for all of us to remember, Harry doesn't remember it -- but it's integral to who he is now. He wants to go back so that he can begin to put the pieces of his own puzzle together."

"But why there?" Lily murmured against Anwen's shoulder. Anwen looked at James, and he got up from his chair and came over to his wife, taking her from Winnie's arms and winding his own around her.

"Lily, we've always avoided talking about it with Harry. He knows the basics of what happened, but he must have so many holes. I think that Padfoot is right, we need to take him back," he explained, looking over to me for assurance that I would be with them when they went. I nodded, letting him know that I would be.

"I can't protect him anymore, can I? I can't make the past some distant horror story; it's the present again, isn't it?" she whispered against him, and I couldn't help but look at Anwen, her eyes clouded with tears and her face trying to mask the pain I could see that she was fighting. _ She had called this, the road to their final battle, a black hole -- we'd all start speeding toward the center -- spiraling and spinning out of control, pulled and pressed upon until we don't even feel like ourselves until we were spit out on the other side. I could tell from the look on her face that she understood that we had entered the outer rim of the corkscrew._

Anwen and I excused ourselves, going upstairs to check on the children, and then to the kitchen to put the kettle on for tea. Edmund had awoken from a nap, and she had grabbed a blanket and settled down to nurse him.

"Sirius, love, if we are going to do this, we are going to do it on my terms," she said to me. "There is no way that we're walking back into the house without all of our defenses up. I can barely get a reading in any of Godric's Hollow due to all of the dark magic that the house retains," she explained; her face looking taught.

"I understand. You're going to insist on going with us, aren't you?" I asked her, sitting down at the table, and leaning my arms down on it.

"The magic that the house holds onto will make it too hard to shield him from a distance. Sirius, I know that it makes you nervous; but remember, I'm your little bad ass witch, being a mum hasn't diminished my skills," she said with an accusatory tone.

"I know, Winnie; I know," I told her as the kettle began to sing, and I measured the tea and poured the water over the loose leaves and set it to steep as we got up and went back to the Library to formulate a plan.

**Anwen POV:**

"I'm sure that this is the best night to do this, and I'm quite sure that our team is large enough; so thanks, but I would rather you stayed here and kept an eye on Lily and the kids," I told her and she looked back at me, her hair changing color again.

"Just because I'm pregnant does not mean that I'm helpless!"

"Of all of the people in the room, I think that I know that better than anyone, however; I can't leave Lily here with eight children, alone, locked in a safe room. There's also that little problem you have whenever the baby gets the hiccups," I reminded her. Tonks cocked an eyebrow at me and had impatience written all over her face.

"I don't shoot sparks out of my fingers every time," she whined, but I just looked at her while the guys were all laughing, even Remus, which didn't help her mood.

"Well, one time while were supposed to be invisible would be enough to blow our cover now wouldn't it. Please, stay here and watch my children for me," I pleaded with her, and I could see in her face that she would relent. It was Christmas Eve, well after dinner but before the children would need to be put to bed. Harry and Hermione had come over to _Fair Garden _ for dinner, and then we were headed to Godric's Hollow for two hours, and then returning. They would spend the night and then I would take them back to their safe house. Hermione had discovered an interesting use of a rune in the book that Albus had left her, and I had recently snuck into Austria to get some new translation and history books; we had work to do.

With Tonks finally relenting, Sirius walked her and Remus down to the safe room and locked them in with Lily and all the children. We couldn't be too safe, we were leaving the property and there would be no way that three adults could protect eight children if there was an attack. _This was why he had the safe room built into the house,_ I reminded myself. When Sirius rejoined our group I felt the need to go over the plans again.

"It's simple, we're going to apparate in together. Harry and Hermione, you'll be out in the open, but under polyjuice; I'll be in disguise and your father and Sirius will be disillusioned. If either of you need to get out of there, use your emergency Portkey, and you'll be in the safe room. I have a full first aid and potions kit in there, so we're covered on that end," I rambled on while I was thinking. "I know that you want to see the house and then we'll be out, and for God's sake, if I tell you to leave, you will do as I say, got it?"

"Uncle Sirius, how do you live with her?" Harry asked and I glared at him while twisting my fingers so that his wand flew out of his hand.

"Keep a better hold on that damned thing; and he lives with me quite well, thank you very much. Look you wanted to do this, you're going to do it on my terms," I glared at him. "We're going into the little park not far from the town church. Sirius and I scoped it out earlier, and with the Christmas Eve services tonight no one would notice a few extra people in town. Everyone have hold of your wands?" All four nodded at me. "Okay, James you get Harry; Sirius you have Hermione. All right you two, drink down those potions and gentlemen, your charms please," I commanded, and they all did as I asked. I waved my hand over myself and I knew I now looked the spitting image of my grandma Lizzy. "Let's go," I said when the transformations were complete.

There was fresh snow on the ground as we made it into the village and the sounds of the late night Christmas Eve service were wafting through town. Hermione took my arm and wrapped hers around it, as if she was helping me walk. I had my other hand in the crook of Harry's arm, implying that I needed him for balance.

"Over there, let him see the memorial," I heard my husbands voice come from thin air behind us. We had seen the memorial when we were here doing our reconnaissance and I knew that it would touch both Harry and James. As we approached what appeared to be a Muggle war memorial, the stone figures of my best friends and their infant son appeared. The statue had been erected in the years that the Potters were in hiding, and it had never been removed. I could hear James gasp behind me, and Harry felt like he slid backward at the sight; I was glad for my contact with him, he felt like he needed to be supported by someone.

We stood there in the dim light of the town square for as long as was reasonable, but I eventually told them that we needed to get moving along, and we made our way around to the far side of the little church and the cemetery. We looked at several of the tombstones, and I was shocked to find several there with the last name of Hodgson on them, dating from the first half of the century.

"Did you know that you had any relatives in the West Country?" I heard Sirius whisper behind me.

"Yes," I hissed, not wanting to get into this right now.

"My father wasn't born in Wales. I'll tell you another time love," I told him, wanting him to be quiet. We found graves for several old wizarding families, including the Dumbledores, and I quietly said a prayer at Albus' families' graves. Harry and Hermione stood quietly at the graves that held the names of his family, still there, the snow gently falling upon them. I could hear James whisper something to his son, and Harry nodded and turned away from the small stone markers.

We made our way down the street toward the house. Sirius and I had seen it already, and it had been an emotional experience for him; I couldn't imagine what it would be like for James and Harry. As we approached the nearly demolished cottage the plaque lifted again from the ground beneath it, and I watched as Harry took a moment to read what was there; clearly overtaken by his emotions. From down the street I could see a silhouette moving toward us. The shape was familiar, but there was something off about it -- I couldn't make out a magical signature on it, which was odd. It appeared to be Mrs. Bagshot, but something was most definitely off about her.

I had met Bathilda Bagshot twice, both times while out studying with Perenelle. She was an odd, but fascinating woman. As she approached, I was getting more and more nervous that I couldn't read any magic on her. _This can't be right. She's incredibly magically strong._ As I was about to raise my alarms, three black figures appeared from nowhere and we were suddenly under heavy fire. I threw a shield up over Harry and Hermione and I screamed for them to take cover.

James and Sirius had made themselves visible again. I didn't need to see them to know where they were, their magical signature was evident even when they were invisible; but they didn't want Harry or Hermione accidently cursing them. I lost immediate eye contact with the teens, but I knew the general area that they were in, as my shield was now moving with them. I sensed that they had moved inside of a magical house, and felt safe that they were going to get themselves back to the safe room. I returned my complete attention to the battle at hand.

We were fighting the Lestranges, all three of them. Rabastan was never a very good dueler, and his lack of skill once again made him easy to disable. With a flick of my wrist I threw him against a tree and knocked him out. _Really, you would think that if you're going to raise a dark army, you'd at least have the sense to train the idiots._ Bella was once again tangling with Sirius, and Rodolphus was battling James. I dropped my disguise and changed into my kestrel form and flew up to a tree above the battle. Once perched on a strong limb, I turned myself human again, and whistled to the boys to let them know where I was, then began firing curses from above.

I had confused the pair, and was beginning to tie them up, when I felt my skin turn cold and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. I looked to the sky and could see Him flying towards us. I quickly closed my eyes, ignoring the double duel going on below me, and went searching for Harry and Hermione. I found them, but Harry was in trouble; he was being bound by Nagini the snake. I tried to pry the snake free with my magic, but I didn't really succeed. Then, I watched as they jumped from a window and disappeared -- not just from the little house, but from my sight as well.

My heart was beating fast, and I could tell that he was having trouble breathing from what I had just seen. _They had to be all right. Hermione would have gotten him away._ I repeated in my mind, trying to calm myself down. Voldemort was still in the immediate area, as were three Death Eaters. _We need to get out of here, now. He wants me almost as much as he wants Harry. We know that, we've always known that. He wants to use my visualization skills to capture his enemies, and he will stop at nothing to get it. _ Regulus' discussion from the other day playing over in my mind. I pondered just returning myself to our house, but I couldn't leave Sirius and James behind. We'd all need to leave together.

My lapse in attention had caused the shield that I had thrown over the two men to falter, and somehow Rodolphus had gotten hold of James, and he was torturing him. Sirius was still battling Bellatrix while also trying to free his friend. I started throwing curse after curse at the pair, and I had begun to confuse and weaken them when suddenly, . the two Death Eaters, Voldemort, and James were gone _Damned Dark Mark, He must have called them back with it, and since that goon was holding onto James, he's now the prisoner of the Voldemort's._ Sirius looked up at me, and I yelled, "home". Moments later we were in the Library at _Fair Garden._

"What in the hell happened? Where is James?" Sirius roared.

"Sirius, calm down. They took him, I nearly had them, and then all of them were gone, even Rabastan, who was knocked out at the time. It had to have been the damned Dark Mark," I explained. "Come on, let's go and get Harry out of the safe room and then figure out what to do next," I told him, and he nodded at me. We left the library and went to the secret door off the Dining Room that lead to the safe room. Sirius lifted his wand and released the lock. The children were all sound asleep in the room, and the adults were sitting watching the telly. It seemed like a serene scene, except that it caused panic to well up in me.

There were only three adults in the room. Harry and Hermione weren't here.

Panic gripped me, and it didn't help that Sirius began swearing a blue streak. Remus came over to us, and pushed Sirius back out the walkway to the Dining Room. I followed closely, with Lily and Tonks on our heels.

"Where are they, where the hell are they?" Sirius was still yelling as we sat down at the dinner table.

"Winnie, where is James?" Lily asked, sounding upset.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Remus asked, concern washing over his face. Tonks moved and sparks shot out of her fingertips again. It was turning into one of those bizarre scenes from a Muggle comedy show.

"Everyone, stop. I need to see if I can find them. We'll talk about everything in a minute, for now, just let me look," I barked and the room became quiet. I closed my eyes and went looking for Harry's magical signature. It was dark, and all I saw were snowflakes and trees and more snow. There was nothing to give me any idea where he was, but I could see him. He was lying down, in a fully fitful rest. Hermione was with him and from what little I could see of the room, they were in the tent.

By the time I pulled myself out of the vision I was shaking and having trouble standing up. I gently lowered myself into the seat and looked at Sirius. "They're safe, in the tent somewhere. In the morning I can go looking for some landmarks to bring them back to the safe house. The bigger problem is that I need to find James now."

"Why do you need to find James?" Lily asked, her voice sounding small. Sirius and I looked at each other, and he went over to kneel beside her chair.

"Lil, there was a firefight, and Lestrange had hold of him when he apparated out," Sirius told her and Lily began shaking. Remus went over and put a protective hand on her shoulder and Sirius took both of her hands in his.

"He's been taken prisoner? It's Christmas Eve. Where is he? Winnie where is he?" she was screaming hysterically and I could feel her terror.

"Let me see if I can find him," I told her, once again closing my eyes. My mind felt like it was on fire as I went looking for James. I could barely make the visions come, and my head felt like it would split open from the pain of forcing it beyond it's limits. Again, I couldn't make out any landmarks, but I could see him. He was badly beaten and there were curse burns on him. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, it elicited another round of abuse. I couldn't watch any more. I pulled myself out of the vision quickly and looked at Sirius. _ I have to let him know what's going on without panicking Lily._ My head was still throbbing with pain and I could barely make my eyes focus.

"He's alive, but he'll need to see Healer Weston when we rescue him," I told Sirius, hoping that he would catch the reference to the healer that I worked with on the abuse cases from the first war. Sirius and Remus both caught my meaning, and I saw worry flash over their faces. "Give me a minute Lily, and I'll throw a shield up over him, and see if we can figure out where he is. Don't worry Lily, we'll find him and get him out," I told her. My body was now shaking from exhaustion, but I knew that I needed to do this, his life might depend upon it.

**Sirius POV:**

_The last three days feel like a year. How the hell did we get to this point?_ I mused to myself, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was sitting in a car, driving through suburban Ontario. Christmas Eve had started out well, but then we went to Godric's Hollow, and Harry was attacked and James was taken. Anwen had nearly worked herself to exhaustion protecting James until we could get him out. Moony, Arthur, Bill, Kingsley and I had made up the team that went in to get him; Anwen was along, but she was astral projecting and not fighting. I wasn't sure that she would make it through the mission; she had been awake for nearly two days and shielding for most of it.

We had a run–in with the Lestranges and Lucius while we were in the house that he was being held in, _old, battered stone remnant of a house might be a better description. I doubt anyone has lived there in over 200 years._ Rescuing James wasn't hard; but we did have quite a scare when we realized that they had a general idea of where both Potter Manor and _Fair Garden_ were; and then the men started talking about what they would do to all of our children. Anwen's astral self was there, she heard it all and when we returned home, she was determined: the children were going to be sent away.

I was surprised to find out that she and Lily had already talked and planned for this, without telling James and m. The Potter children -- Evan, Emma and Hope -- were being taken to India with Ewan and Anelle duChamp; living in our house there. Our children were going to Canada to live with Anwen's parents until the war was over. Anwen had bank accounts and temporary custody agreements drawn up, as well as untraceable cell phones purchased. Within minutes of arriving back, Anwen and Lily were finalizing plans.

Anwen had gotten in touch with some of her contacts in the Canadian Ministry, and they had arranged a private Portkey for our family to her sister's former school. It was done entirely through the Canadian Ministry, to protect our location from our Ministry. Once we were at the school, we used their local Portkey network to go to Anwen's parents' house. We were driving back from the bank where Anwen had set up our Canadian bank accounts, adding her father to them, so that he could access our funds while the children were here. _ I can't believe that it's come to this. We're leaving our children here. _

"You're sure about this?" her father asked her.

"Daddy, it's like when you were little. I can't leave my little ones there," she responded quietly, crying again. "This way, I'll know that they're safe. Even if Sirius and I don't make it..."

"Anwen, it can't be that bad?"

"It is."

The rest of the ride to the bed and breakfast was in complete silence. We would be flying home as Muggles, beginning first thing in the morning. It was a convoluted trip home, from Buffalo, New York, to New York City to Paris to Edinburgh and finally driving home from the airport in a rented car while in disguise.

Dinner was strained. Liddy and Stephen had come over with their children, and all of the cousins were playing together. Rhosyn was torn; in her glory, having all of the grandkids together; but she was sad as well, knowing that her daughter was going back to a war zone. _She's lost one daughter to this conflict already, I think that she's afraid she'll lose another._ Caldwalder just looked tense and far away, and poor Anwen couldn't even speak; she was so close to tears.

After dinner, Anwen put each of the children to bed individually, rocking each of them to sleep while singing to them and whispering to them how much their Mummy and Daddy loved them; silently assuring them how much they were loved and that no matter what happened, we would always love them. She took their Portkey necklaces off and gave them each a locket with our pictures in them, so they could carry us with them always. When she laid Edmund down in his crib, after his final bottle of the night, she closed the door and slid down to the floor, weeping. _She had said her goodbyes, tomorrow she would be strong._

I lifted her frail and exhausted body and carried it downstairs, away from everyone who was sleeping. When I reached the family sitting room, I was surprised to find Anwen's father sitting there, an open bottle of whiskey in front of him with three glasses. I settled us into a chair, still holding her shaking frame to me.

"Take a drink dear, it'll help," her father said, thrusting a glass toward her. Anwen took it and swallowed it down in one gulp. We sat there for a while, Caldwalder and I sipping from our glasses, Anwen settling herself.

"When I was little, and you'd tell us the story, I couldn't understand how your Ma and Da could do that. I never thought that I'd have to make the same choice. I feel so badly for judging them that way," she whispered and from looking at her father I knew that he understood what she was talking about. I looked at him quizzically.

"Sirius, I was born in 1938 not far from Bath. By the time I was two the country was being bombed regularly by the Germans. Like many of the children who lived near cities, I was sent away. I lived in the Welsh countryside to keep me safe. My parents were both dead by 1941, and after the war I was adopted by a Welsh family, and lived there until we came here. I gave up their last name when I turned eighteen and went back to my birth name," he explained to me, and I understood why we had found tombstones with Hodgson on them in Godric's Hollow. "Never thought that I'd be the one housing children escaping war..."

"I know Daddy, I never thought that I would leave my children," Anwen said. None of us felt the need to speak any more that night, we just sat there in silence, dreading the morning and the goodbyes with our children. _ I pray that it's not our final goodbye to them._

Morning broke overcast and cloudy and light snow was falling. We would be driving the rental car into the United States and leaving it at the airport. Anwen and I had barely slept the night before; silently creeping into each of the children's rooms and watching them sleep.

Shortly before dawn, I watched as Anwen's face hardened. She wouldn't let the children see her sadness, it would only make theirs worse. She said some quiet goodbyes to her parents, her mother sobbing at our leaving, only calming down when Anwen placed Edmund in her arms. I watched as one by one she hugged each of our children, told them that she loved them and that we would be back to get them as soon as we could. She reminded them to listen to grandma and grandda. Jamie clung to her, sobbing hysterically, and Anwen held her for as long as she could, until it was finally time to leave and Caldwalder pried the toddler from her arms.

I hugged and kissed them all, and was doing fine until Ethan looked up at me and told me that he would take care of his little sisters and brothers, he'd be the big man for me. I lost it at the words from my four and a half year old son's mouth. As we closed the door, I felt my breath become ragged and Anwen's gentle arms around me. She led me to the car, and opened the passenger side door and eased me in. I had never wept this way in my life, not even when I thought that I had lost Anwen and Lilyan or when I was in hell.

We sat in the car for a long while, Anwen awkwardly holding me over the controls of the car, until I had cried myself out. She said nothing as I pulled away from her, and she started the car. The only time that we spoke the whole way to the airport was when we passed through border customs; Anwen had confunded the guard, and he simply asked us what country we were born in, and then let us go on our way.

It wasn't until we were sitting in the seats, taking off for the short flight from Buffalo to New York, that we spoke to each other, and even then the spoken conversation only consisted of one sentence.

"My arms ache to hold them Sirius," she confessed, her lips trembling as she spoke. I wrapped my arm around her, and I could feel her tears soaking my shirt, as mine fell on her head.


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: Things are happening more rapidly now, and time is moving faster. There are many of the activities of DH that aren't talked about in this story, as we know them quite well; instead, it will be their implications for the family that are viewed. There is only one song for this chapter: "Feel So Different" by Sinead O'Connor. Again, my deep thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. Mutt**

**Chapter 47:**

**Pain**

**Sirius POV:**

When we arrived back from the airport in Edinburgh, Anwen and I were exhausted. She hadn't really slept for the two days prior to our leaving, and then she didn't really sleep while we were away for fear of missing something with the children. We both dozed on the transatlantic flight, but it wasn't really restful sleep, more like unconsciousness from exhaustion. We came in through the door, dropped our luggage, stripped out of traveling clothes and climbed into bed in our knickers. I felt her small frame curled up against me, crying again.

It took two days for Anwen to finally emerge from the bed, shower and put on some clothes and come downstairs to eat. I had slept and after 12 hours I needed to get up and take care of some business; James was in no condition to do any of our warding projects and we had clients who were relying on us. I was pleasantly surprised when Anwen came into my office that second day, her hair hanging in a damp plait down her back, clad in my oldest and most stretched out Weasley sweater and pair of tight leggings. She looked simply beautiful to me. I motioned for her to come over and sit on my lap and loved how the weight of her felt upon me.

"How are you feeling today?" I asked her, and she leaned her forehead down against mine.

"All right. I needed to get up, can't just wallow now, can I? I think Fawkes coming in and singing in our room this morning might have helped. Thanks for getting the Christmas decorations down, I don't think that I have the fortitude to have taken them down," she said gently against me.

"Thank the Lupins; they came over and then they called Kreacher and he put them away," I told her honestly.

"So, what are you working on?" she asked me, looking down at the plans on my desk.

"A warding for a family that's hiding their Muggle neighbors," I told her, and I could tell that she was reading the plans with interest.

"Do you mind if I make a suggestion?" she asked me, and I shook my head at her.

"Please, James was always better with the planning, but he's not going to be up and able to work for at least another week," I told her; his injuries were rather extensive and it was all that Molly and Lily could do to keep him in bed trying to heal him.

"Well, this rune here," she said, pointing to the northern most point of the wards, " if you changed the rune from that one -- which means strong -- to the one for impenetrable, you'll make the ward about 5 times stronger, and it will be braced better on both sides, given the runes that you're using as lateral attachment points," she explained, pointing to the eastern and western axis'.

"Are you sure you aren't the professional warder in the family?" I teased her and she smiled her first real smile since we had left the kids with her parents.

"Why don't I work with you, at least until James is up and back on his feet? It will help to have something to do, to keep my mind off my babies," she said and I hugged her tighter.

"I think that would be wonderful, darling. Let me show you the other plans that I have to work on this week," I said, shifting her over to one leg so that I could reach across and grab the other projects that we had in the works. Anwen had great ideas, and she was quite animated while speaking about what could be done with them, but the exhaustion was still behind her eyes. About an hour later Remus came through the wards and he brought us up to date with Harry and Hermione. It took about ten seconds, no one had learned anything in our absence. Anwen shook her head wearily at this, and looked at me with such sadness.

"Are you up for looking for them?" I asked her, genuinely concerned about her level of exhaustion.

"It needs to be done. I'll just rest once I've found them," she said softly, and then closed her eyes kneading the flesh between them, as she was known to do when her head was aching again. "They're fine, shaken, but fine; Harry looks awful. They're in some woods, let me see if I can find anything near by," she said, sounding so overwhelmed and weak. She put both of her hands on her head, and began fisting her hair between her fingers, making the most anguished sounds. "The closest town that I can find is Ross On Wye, but they're a good distance from it. There isn't anything near them," she said opening her eyes and looking at me in pain.

"Why don't you go and rest, I'll bring you a pain potion," I told her, gently stroking her face.

"I don't even know if we have any. I've been sending most of my supplies up to Hogwarts. Damn, I need to go and check the box. I haven't looked at it since Christmas Eve," she said, sounding irate with herself.

"Anwen, they're still on break. Ginny's at the Burrow, nearly everyone is safe," Remus told her, and she exhaled in relief.

"What do you mean nearly?" I asked him.

"Ginny's friend, Luna Lovegood was taken from the train on the way home. Her father has been printing very Harry–friendly/anti-Ministry columns, and I think that they're trying to get to him through her," Remus explained. Anwen started shaking her head.

"I don't even know if I could find her magic," she moaned. "I remember that it was different, she has a guide attached to her, but it's been years since I really looked at it."

"Anwen, no one expects you to try and shield everyone," I tried to comfort her, but I knew that she would be blaming herself for not being able to do more. "Come on, you need to get rid of that headache, go lie down on the couch in the Sitting Room and I'll bring you some coffee and the potion."

Anwen rose from her seat and nodded at me. As we were headed toward the main room of the house, our progression was interrupted by a Patronus protruding into the hallway. "I need your help," was all it said, and Anwen groaned in displeasure.

"Anwen, you're in no condition to go. He can wait," I tried to plead with her, but she shook me off.

"If he contacted me, he clearly needs me. I should go now," she said, turning around to go up the stairs.

"Anwen, I'm not letting you go alone," I told her and she started to protest. "I'll wait in the shack, but you're not going into Hogsmeade without my being close. You're also going to eat something and take the pain potion before we go. Don't argue with me," I told her and she shook her head in disgust at me.

"I'll go too," Remus said. "The two of you look like hell." I nodded at him, knowing that he was right. I summoned Kreacher who made some onion soup, which thankfully Anwen ate down, and then, summoning her shoes and cloak, we were off to Hogsmeade. We apparated directly into the Shrieking Shack, and from there Anwen changed into her Kestrel form and flew off toward the Headmaster's office.

Remus and I sat talking with each other in the old bedroom that we used to use for his changes, and where I had held Anwen as she slept all those years ago. He told me about the strange cravings that Tonks was having, and how she'd set the kitchen table on fire when she'd shot sparks out of her hands while they were eating dinner two nights ago. I told him about the awful trip to Canada, and the anguish at leaving our children there. _It might have been the right thing, but it was the most difficult thing that I had ever done._ We talked a bit about the injuries that James had sustained, and he suggested that he needed to talk with Anwen about it.

"He's being brave for Lily, but I'm sure that there's more to what happened to him than he's letting on," Moony told me honestly, and I wasn't surprised. I had seen some rather odd injuries when we had rescued him; and I recognized that torture was the only way that they could have been created.

"She's gonna need another day or so; right now, she is just too fragile. Whatever it is that Snivelus needed, it better have been important," I told him, irritated at the idea that Anwen was out when she was so obviously in pain.

"I'll go to the kids tonight, when Anwen can tell me better where they are, and bring them back to the safe house. It's too cold to be out in this weather, especially without any food. Maybe we can put an anti-apparition jinx on him to keep him from running off again," Moony suggested and I didn't think that it was a bad idea.

Night fell and we were still waiting. I put a warming charm on myself, and wished that I had brought along some dinner. I was about to call Kreacher when there was a pop and in the room appeared Snape, holding the shaking body of my wife.

"What the hell did you do to her?" I roared at him, and Moony had to hold me back from hitting him. He laid her down on the dilapidated bed in the room.

"I didn't do anything other than need her to use her sight. Clearly, she's depleted her magic in doing so. Here, give her this potion when she gets home and then let her sleep," he said handing me a small phial. "Please, tell her thank you for me. I know that it was very hard on her."

"I will," I said curtly, and as quickly as he was there, he was gone again.

"Come on, let's get her home, and then we'll need to figure out where those kids are," Remus said, and I handed him the phial while I went to pick up my wife and take her back home.

**Anwen POV:**

_Where the hell am I?_ It was the only question that my brain could formulate correctly. I could tell that I was somewhere soft and warm but beyond that I had no idea where I was. The last firm memory that I had was being in the Headmaster's office with Severus and Albus' portrait, arguing with them about once again manipulating the situation.

"If you want to give them the damned sword, then I'll take it to them. Why all the cloak and dagger?" I was so tired of the stupidity of these two.

"Because they can't know where it came from, not yet," Albus argued, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You know, you're as much of a pain in the ass in death as you were in life," I grumbled at him. "You also owe me an explanation sometime. I found your family's markers in the little graveyard in Godric's Hollow, not far from the ones of my father's biological family. It's a tiny town, and you were well over one hundred years old. I get the feeling that your coming to tell me about Hogwarts when I was eleven wasn't a coincidence, was it?" Albus didn't say anything, but the face on the portrait looked guilty. I glared at him for a moment and then got back to the issue at hand. "We will talk about this sometime when we have the time for you to answer all of my questions." I turned and looked at Severus. "You know that it's only theory that I can fuse my astral self with your Patronus, right? And by the way, what was that thing that showed up in my hallway. I know that wasn't your real Patronus charm," I accused Severus and he looked back at me with disgust.

"I didn't want your husband knowing," he spat out. "He would have told Lily."

"Well, yeah. That's creepy, stalker–like behavior there, having your Patronus be identical to that of a woman who doesn't care for you," I told him honestly, getting creepy crawlies all over my skin at the idea of having to share a Patronus with Snape.

"Whatever, I manipulated it so that it wouldn't look like mine. What form did it take?" he asked, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"To be fair, it looked a bit like some sort of a bat; could have been a vampire bat, sucked the life right out of the room," I joked, and only the portrait of Albus thought that it was funny. "Come on, if I get myself to the damned forest I might have an easier time finding them." _I just want this over and done with and to get back home with Sirius._

Severus apparated us to the forest, and I searched for Harry and Hermione. Once I found them, I had to figure out how to guide his darned Patronus without making my astral self be seen by Harry, knowing full well that he'd recognize it quickly. It worked, but it was more exhausting than I could have ever imagined. By the time Harry found the sword my head was spinning and my headache had grown to an unimaginable strength. I was breathing so heavily and my heart was beating so fast that my chest felt like it was on fire. Then everything went blank, and now, I was somewhere warm and soft and it felt like my head was swimming in a soft, gray cloud.

I tried moving my body, and I found that I was stiff, but still capable of movement. I tentatively moved my arm, and I felt something shift in my softness.

"Anwen, love, are you waking?" my favorite voice in the world whispered to me and some sort of sound escaped me. "Just rest love, I'm here, you're safe and the kids are fine," the voice lulled to me, and I felt myself slip back into the warm darkness.

I don't know how long I was away, but the second time the darkness lifted to gray, I was much more aware of my surroundings. I could feel that I was in our bed, and from the weight that was to my left, I figured that Sirius was there with me. I had better control over myself this time, and I was able to open my eyes and move my arm.

It was hard to focus, but I could see Sirius sitting up in bed, fully dressed, parchment in his lap. There was no light coming in from the windows, so I guessed that it was night. I slowly moved my arm so it touched his thigh. He dropped the parchment he was reading, and then threw the stack to the floor. He immediately slid himself down so that we were face to face and his hand caressed my cheek.

"Hello there love, how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm underwater, what happened?" I asked, scrunching my eyes open and shut trying to make them work.

"Just relax, it's the effect of the potions on you. You've been out of it for four days, we only just started weaning you off the Dreamless Sleep and Regeneration Potions. Ewan had the devil's own time trying to figure out what it was that Snape had made for you, and then why the hell you needed it. Didn't help that you were out cold and couldn't tell us what had happened," Sirius explained to me, and I was trying to remember where I was with Severus.

"Oh," it was all that I could think to say. "What is Ewan doing here?" I was panicking at the idea that he had left the children without proper protection in India, or worse, had brought them back here.

"Relax, everyone is okay. I didn't want to just give you a potion that Snape had made without knowing what it was. Remus tried to figure it out, but he couldn't and Lily is rather preoccupied with James; we needed Ewan's expertise. Remus and Tonks went to visit him in India, and he deciphered what it was, and then brewed some more for you. It was a special magical regeneration potion, you'd blown out your magic again. What did he have you doing?"

I had to stop and think about it. _What the hell was it we were doing? Something with a sword, and a Patronus..._ "I had to fuse my astral self with his Patronus, but I can't remember why," I mumbled at Sirius, and he was again stroking my cheek, this time pressing his lips to my forehead.

"It's all right, darling. You're safe now, and your magic is nearly back to full strength. Are you hungry? Kreacher has been cooking for me, so there's lots of food in the house," he explained and I gave him half a smile.

"Sure, now that it's just the two of us here, we have the house elf doing the cooking," I tried to joke and Sirius smiled my favorite crooked grin.

"Let's get you up and eating something," he said as he raised himself up and then lifted me to a sitting position as well. Sirius called Kreacher, and within moments I was eating the most delicious bowl of vegetable soup and fresh bread. After being up for just a little while, I was exhausted again, and slid back down into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning I awoke again, this time alone in the bed. I could hear the shower going and I knew that Sirius was awake. I carefully pulled myself to a sitting position and decided to wait there for Sirius to come and help me up. He helped me wash up and get dressed and we went downstairs for some breakfast. After I had eaten, I decided to camp out on the couch for the day.

It was late in the morning when everyone came over for a family meeting. We didn't know where the kids were, but everyone flatly refused to let me go search for them. Their insistence was that I wait for at least a few more days, to make sure that my magic was fully recovered and that the headache had completely abated. Two days later we got a report that they had nearly been caught by a Ministry Hit Squad/Death Eaters at the Lovegoods'. King had been able to get us a message, and even though everyone was upset at me, there was no way that I wasn't going to find out where those damned teens were and bring them back to the safe house if I had to kidnap them and carry them back myself.

I closed my eyes and went looking for them. It wasn't hard to find them, they were on some desolate, windy, wet plain. "They're fine, Ron's back," I rolled my eyes under my eyelids at that. "It's desolate where they are, let me see if I can find anything," I explained, and went looking for any signs of habitation. I saw a small village. "Sirius, write this down L-L-Y-S-F-A-E-N. They're near there." I told them, opening my eyes. "Given the spelling, I'd say it's Welsh; we love our L's; but I have no idea where that town is. Can't be in South Wales or I'd probably recognize it. Where's the map?" I asked, and Remus got up to get the map from the Library. We scoured over it for a few minutes, and then I found it. "That's near nothing." I said, pointing to the small blip in Conwy County. "The only wizarding communities even close are Abergele to the east and Holyhead to the west; but they're miles from either."

After some discussion, mostly arguing with James about his needing to stay and rest, it was decided that Remus and Sirius would go and get the kids and bring them back here for the night. In the morning we would be able to check the wards at the safe house and then let them return, with Remus and Tonks or Sirius and I taking shifts with them. Once James was back to full strength, he and Lily would be able to stay with them as well. Before leaving, Sirius ordered me to stay quiet and calm, reminding me that I was still recovering. Tonks and Lily promised him that I would stay quiet as they went to start dinner for us all; leaving James and I alone.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him, and he looked at me and let his face fall at the question.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm feeling better, still really don't know what it was that I did that blew out my magic, the memories are vague, but knowing Severus, he probably tampered with them."

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, and then he turned to me, his face lined and older than I had ever seen it.

"When does it go away? When will I close my eyes and stop reliving it?" I leaned toward him, resting my elbows on my knees and placing my head on my hands.

"It'll take time. I can teach you some ways to cope with the memories; much like I did with both Harry and Ginny, but you're skilled at Occlumency so you already know most of them. I know you're not talking with Lily or the guys about it. Do you want to talk with me? I doubt you'd tell me anything that I haven't heard before," I explained bluntly, but it was the truth; during the first war I had seen and heard things that I didn't think one person was capable of doing to another. James shook his head at me, embarrassment crossing his face, and then he steeled it again.

"James, there's nothing to be embarrassed about, and you could never change my opinion of you; you are my hero, and you always will be. Whatever they did, they did to try to break or humiliate you. By your sitting here in front of me, they clearly did neither," I told him, trying to comfort him. He paused for a moment.

"I can't, not yet; and I can't ever let Lily know, Winnie," he said choking back tears, "I can't let my Lily know."

"I would never tell anyone James, it will just be between us. When you're ready, I'm here to listen; or if you just need to be around someone that you don't have to pretend with. When you're ready, start packing up those memories, and seal them away. It really is the only way that you'll ever find peace," I told him, and he nodded at me. I got up and walked across the room and held his face to my chest. Just then Tonks appeared in the kitchen doorway holding the tea tray and we made eye contact and I shook my head at her. Immediately catching my meaning, she turned and I heard the tray crash to the floor.

"I am such a klutz sometimes. Lily can you help me? I can't bend over to clean this up," she said loudly and I was thankful for her cover. The moment was broken and James pulled himself away, and wiped his face. I waved my hand over it, and the redness and swelling from his crying immediately diminished.

"How about if you and I have tea tomorrow? I need to talk with you about some of the warding diagrams anyway; I don't think that Sirius can read them very well," I asked, coming up with what we both knew was a cover story.

"That would be good. Glad you're working with him while I'm..." he just trailed off.

I nodded and turned and went back to sit down on the couch. The next time that Tonks opened the door, we were discussing the benefits of runic versus incantation based warding.

**Sirius POV:**

It took a while to pack the tent up, and I could tell by the way that they were delaying in their packing that the trio was avoiding coming with us. _I wonder if they're more frightened of Lily or Anwen?_ It was nearing twilight by the time that we finally managed to leave the Welsh grasslands and head back to Scotland and _Fair Garden._ Based on the reception that they got, clearly it was going to be Winnie that would be talking to them.

We ate dinner, and conversation was polite, but restrained. The sword of Godric Gryffindor made some sort of strange centerpiece, sitting in the middle of the table as it was. When the meal was over, Remus and Tonks agreed to clean up the kitchen and Lily took James home, as he had definitely overdone it today. That left Winnie and me in the Dining Room with the teens. Winnie was holding onto her coffee cup with both hands, gently rolling it back and forth, something that I knew she did to keep herself from loosing her temper.

"I have to say that I am very disappointed in all three of you," she said in a voice that was slow, deliberate and very quiet. _Damn I hate it when she talks like this._ "We have all discussed it, and none of you have shown the maturity that we know you're capable of. You are not making plans anymore, we are."

"Aunt Winnie, this isn't your fight..." Harry started to protest.

"Like hell it isn't Harry. I left my children in Canada with my parents, unsure if I will ever see them again. The prophecy may have been written about you, but your family has stood and protected you for your whole life; this sure as hell is my fight," she said through clenched teeth, and I think she frightened them all. Hermione had tears forming in her eyes.

"You need to listen to the people around you, you need to control your temper, and you need to stop thinking that you're invincible," she said, looking at Harry. "We're all prepared to die for you, but we'd rather that you didn't make it necessary. It's a miracle that your father is as well as he is."

"Mr. Weasley, I know that your mother raised you better than to walk out on your responsibilities. God help you when she and your sister become aware of your actions. I won't be defending you."

"Hermione, I understand why you went to Xeno for information, but you could have gotten in touch with me, and we could have done the research here in a much safer way. You can't trust anyone outside of our immediate families," she chastised the young witch, who was now openly crying. Ron reached over and took her hand.

"Now, all three of you, I don't expect to ever have to readdress these issues. If I do, I promise you that it will not be with words alone. We're all glad that you destroyed another horcrux, but we have to work together, or someone is going to get killed. Your rooms are prepared. Why don't you all go up, take a warm shower and get a good night's sleep."

The three teens rose from their chairs and left the room, leaving the sword of Gryffindor on the table behind them. When they left the room and closed the door, Anwen groaned and laid her head down on the table, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

I went over and lifted her up and pulled her into my arms. "I know what would make you feel better, how about if we call the kids?"

She giggled against me, and looked up with delight in her eyes. "Really, we can call the kids?"

"Isn't that what the phones were for. Come on, it's only like 3:30 in the afternoon there, and your Da promised to keep the phone on him at all times. I think that you need to talk with your babies, and I'm sure that they need to talk with you."

I pulled the cellular phone from my pocket, and pulled up the only number that was programmed into the phone and handed it to Anwen. I watched her face light up as she talked with each of the children in turn. We passed the phone back and forth and I was sure that they were telling us each the same stories, but I didn't care. It was good to hear their little voices and to know that they were safe. Ethan was learning to ice skate from his uncle and Lilyan had gone with her Aunt and cousin to see the Butterfly garden in Niagara Falls. John got on the phone, and talked a mile a minute about playing American football with his grandda and Jamie simply told us that she missed us. Rhosyn even put Edmund on the phone and we heard him gurgle and giggle. Anwen's parents promised us that they were all doing well, and every night they listened to their Mummy sing them to sleep. We said goodbye, and as we hung up I could see Anwen crying again. I put the phone away in my pocket and held my wife close, not needing to say anything. She was in pain. She missed her children, as did I.

**Lily POV:**

The sleet was pounding down on the window and I looked out over the icy traverse of our yard, realizing that I was feeling much like the world outside today -- hard, cold and unwelcoming. _ I had tried to get up and take care of things, I started to make breakfast, but I just couldn't._ I came back to our bedroom and sat down in the settee and stared out the window. _ I should be with her, I should be holding and kissing her, but I'm not._

There was a knock at the door, and I was surprised to find my eldest son coming into the room. His face looked so drawn and old, and he had shot up in the last year, without filling out at all. He was built more like his godfather now, but his face was still all his Dad.

"How are you doing Mum?" he asked me, coming over and sitting on the arm of the settee, putting his long arm around me.

"Not well Harry. Hope is a year old today, and she isn't with her Mummy and Daddy," I told him, finally letting the tears that I had been trying to hide come out.

"Mum, I'm so sorry," he said as he wrapped both arms around me. "This is all my fault." I pulled away from my eldest son and grabbed his face between my hands.

"This is not your fault. We sent your sisters and brother away to keep them safe because the Death Eaters wanted them. You have nothing to do with this," I told him, and he started to protest but I wouldn't let him. "They would have come after your father and me even if you weren't in the picture, Harry. Don't you dare think that this is all about you." I pulled him to me again, and held him tight.

"Why don't you just go to India and see them? I know that you're missing all of them, we'll take care of Dad," he told me, and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"No Harry, it's safer if we aren't traipsing in and out of England. We aren't sure that the private floo is completely safe anymore, that's why we've been apparating in and out of the Blacks' house. I can't apparate to India, and there's no way that a Portkey wouldn't send up some sort of a red flag. They're safer if we don't go and see them. I'll call on the phone in a little while, and let her know that Mummy and Daddy and big brother love her and miss her and wish her a Happy Birthday, and Anelle has promised to make her a cake and buy her gifts. I'll be fine, I just miss my baby."

"I miss her too, mum. Emma's birthday is next week, isn't it?" he asked me, and I nodded at him. "Well, maybe we can have them all home for Evan's birthday in May?"

"I hope so, son. I can only pray that it will be over by then," I said with a sigh and we both went back to watching the sleet on the window.

**Remus POV:**

January was cold and wet, and much to my surprise February was colder and wetter. As March was beginning, I could only hope that the weather would soon be breaking. _It will be nice to see some signs of spring. _The Dementors were multiplying quickly and they were making the traditional rainy, cold weather even worse. I was headed back to the gatehouse at the Manor after spending the day doing research with Harry and Hermione. We had recently moved them out of the little safe house as the furnace was unreliable and the house was too cold for habitation.

James was up and around now, and had gone back to warding with Sirius, although he still wasn't doing shifts with the Order yet. _ I think his warding discussions with Anwen are helping._ We knew that they weren't talking about warding projects, but no one wanted to call him on it. Tonight I would be out with Kingsley again; and in two days we would be having another _Potterwatch_ broadcast. Lee Jordan had really done an amazing job and had put his life on the line to get the word out.

It wasn't a long walk between the main house and the gate house, so I usually walked instead of attempting to apparate within the Manor wards. _Those are some awful side effects from apparating within them. _ As I approached the house, the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up and I knew that there was something wrong with Tee or the baby. I took off in a run for the small house, and quickly opened the door.

My wife was sitting on the couch in the small sitting room, hugging her mother tightly and sobbing. Anwen was kneeling in front of them, rubbing gentle circles on both of their backs. Sirius stepped up and stood directly in front of me.

"We were on duty last night, and we found some bodies..."

"Who?"

"Dirk Creswell, a bloke that Anwen knew from the Ministry and a goblin named Gornuk, at least that who we think it was, and...Ted," he whispered. I pushed past him and Anwen got up from her place near the weeping women and I wrapped my arms around my wife and mother-in-law and cried with them.


	49. Chapter 49

**Author's Note: Only two chapters after this, so Woven will be done being posted on Saturday, October 31st. I think that there is some sort of symmetry here. Two songs for this chapter: "Somewhere Down the Road" by Amy Grant and "Dancing with Tears in my Eyes" by Ultravox. Thanks so much to all of you who are following the story so closely, it really means a great deal to me. The final story in the trilogy, "Restored" will start up next week; it goes from immediately after the end of "Woven" through the future. I don't own Harry Potter...anyway, here you go. Thanks for reading, Mutt.**

**Chapter 48:**

**Unwanted**

**Sirius POV:**

I awoke with a start, and realized that there were a pair of eyes watching me. I stared for a minute at them, trying to read them. In all of the years that I had looked into them, never had the pain behind them been so overwhelming. They were still the color of spring Willow trees, but they were clouded with loss and sorrow. I lifted myself up and closed the distance between Anwen and me and brought my lips to hers. I kissed her tenderly and gently, and when I lay back down next to her in our bed, I heard a small sigh escape her.

"Happy Birthday, love," I whispered to her. "I wish I had a present for you."

"There's nothing I need other than the love of a good man and my children being home. I have the first, let's end this damned war so that I can get the second one of those things," she said quietly, and it broke my heart to hear her speak that way. I pulled her to me, and held her tightly; there was little else that I was going to be able to do for her today. I had no doubt that the rest of the day would be like this, quiet and somber; the teens and the Potters would be over for dinner. I had also arranged for a special guest to be brought over tonight, hoping that her presence would help lighten the mood.

That afternoon we were sitting around the Library table, huge stacks of maps were laid out before us, and Anwen had at least fifteen different spell books from around the world opened on any flat surface that would hold them.

"You're sure that you can trust him?" Harry said skeptically, "Because we've got Griphook still healing over at Shell Cottage, and he seems willing to help."

"Harry, we trust Targnof with our lives and all of our secrets. He knows where our home is and where our children are being kept. If he thinks that it's safer to have him sneak us into Gringotts and get into the Lestrange vault, then I think that we should trust him," I told my godson and he nodded at me.

All three of them were far more contrite and mature about things. The destruction of the little safe house and the death of Dobby had made them realize that they had to start really doing things as we suggested, or this war might never be over. My mind slipped into my memories of the night everything changed.

Winnie and I were with them, listening to _Potterwatch!_ when Harry accidentally said Voldemort's name. Hermione immediately swelled Harry's face, and I quickly disillusioned myself, knowing that I would be more good unseen than if they had thought I was with the kids. My presence would have immediately given away their true identities. Winnie changed into her Kestrel form and flew out the back window of the house, not only ensuring her own safety; but giving us a way to get help here. The price on her head was nearly as high as the one on Harry, and we knew from Reg that Anwen wouldn't survive Voldemort trying to take her powers from her.

We had the sword with us, we were trying to see if using its magic would help us pinpoint the location of the rest of the horcruxes. Map scrying was one of those lost skills that Anwen believed that we should be teaching. It actually seemed to be working, Winnie was able to see the cup in a vault in Gringotts, and the diadem within the halls of Hogwarts, but she didn't recognize the room. The snake was wrapped around Voldemort's shoulders at the time, and she was trying to pinpoint that location when Harry accidentally spoke the name.

I watched as the Snatchers toyed with the kids, took the sword, and then set the little safe house on fire. There was nothing of value in the house anymore, except for the copy of the map that we were using, but it was only a copy, the original was still at _Fair Garden._ I had hoped Anwen would be back with help soon, and they would be able to put the fire out quickly. Just before they apparated out, I held onto Harry's arm, letting him know that I was there with him, and getting to tag along to where it was that they were headed.

I recognized Malfoy Manor from my childhood, I was dragged here for Cissy's wedding when I was fourteen. I quickly whispered to the kids that I was still there, but then moved away from them, knowing that the element of surprise would have to be with me to keep them safe. As I scanned the room, I recognized most of the people who were wearing the robes of Death Eaters, but a few even surprised me. Voldemort however, was not among them. Bella and her husband and his brother, Lucius and Draco, quite a few of the old guard. It took everything in me not to kill Wormtail on the spot. In the back I recognized a woman, but I couldn't put a name with the face. Standing next to her was a boy, about the age of Harry, that looked so much like my younger brother I could have sworn that his portrait had come to life. I would have stood there and stared at him all day, except at that moment, they were taking Harry and Ron away, and Bella had gotten hold of Hermione. I knew that she was of no importance to them, so her safety had to be my first concern.

I threw a shield over her, weaker than the ones that my wife was able to create, but still strong enough to protect her nonetheless, and moved in closer. I cast a slight stinging curse at Bella, enough to distract her and make her think that something had stung or bitten her shoulder. She loosened her grasp on Hermione enough that I was able to grab the young witch and disillusion her in one quick motion. I lifted her up off her feet and pulled her away from the center of the action.

We now needed to get down to the boys, and make sure that they were safe. Following the same path that I had seen them be taken out, we went down to a dark cellar, where they were trying to figure out a way to get out. Luna and Mr. Ollivander were there, as well as the other two prisoners that the Snatchers had brought in with them tonight.

A hand banging on the table in the Library brought me back to the here and now. "Uncle Sirius, we were talking to you," Harry teased, and I looked at him sheepishly, and then turned to my wife.

"Daydreaming, sorry, what did you need to know?"

"Are all of the accounts still the same? Can we get information to Targnof through the Muggle bank in town?" she asked me, enunciating every word.

"Yes. I can leave a message for him in the safe deposit box there, and it will magically transfer itself to his desk drawer at Gringotts."

"Good, tomorrow we'll need to go into Portree and leave a message for him, letting him know that we need to access the Lestrange family vault," she said.

"But how can we be sure that the thing is in there?" Ron asked.

"Well, we saw its magical signature in there when we scried a few weeks ago. Also, there isn't any way that they could have gotten into the vault to remove it. The Lestrange family vault has been sealed since they were convicted after the first war. Only a goblin can open it. Their home was sold and the profits from the sale were divided among the families that they had hurt. The family vault was sealed, and neither of them could ever get anything out; upon their death, it would revert to the closest living blood relative -- most likely either one of Bella's sisters or their children, unless either of the brothers were to reproduce," she said with a shudder. "Perish the thought. Doing that, instead of liquidating the entire estate, was done as a way to ensure that the bloodline wouldn't be punished just because of a few bad seeds. Of course, in the case of the Lestrange family, the whole line is rather seedy."

We were distracted from our conversation when a little badger Patronus landed on the table in front of me, whispered something to me, and then disappeared. I rose from the table.

"Is everything alright?" Ron asked, worry crossing his face. _ He obviously knows his brother's Patronus._

"It's all good," I explained. "Just need to take care of something quickly, if you'll excuse me," I said getting up and leaving the room before anyone could object. I could hear Anwen musing aloud at what was going on.

I quickly went and opened up the private floo from the Potter house to ours. _ Couldn't get Anwen any gifts, but I could arrange this surprise for her._ A moment later Bill and Ginny came through the wards, Ginny holding a chocolate birthday cake for Anwen.

"Hi Uncle Sirius, I hope that you don't mind that we're a little early?" Ginny said brightly. Her face was thin and her eyes were darker than I remembered. Anwen and I had both grown increasingly worried about her while she was still at Hogwarts, and were relieved that she had been taken by her family and put into a safe house. She came over to study and practice with Anwen a few times.

"Of course not, honey. We're in the study right now getting some work done, but I think that we can be finished for the day. Actually, Bill, it's something that I'd like to talk with you about. How well do you know Targnof the goblin?" I asked him and he smiled at me.

"Very, and he is absolutely trustworthy. He holds you and Anwen in high esteem. I would trust him with my life," he told me. "The one at my house..." he trailed off, and I caught his meaning and nodded at him.

"I'm going to go and put this in the kitchen, all right?" Ginny asked me, and when I nodded she headed off with the cake. A moment later she returned and we walked into the Library together.

"Happy Birthday Aunt Winnie!" Ginny said with excitement in her voice. "Mum baked you a cake, chocolate caramel, your favorite."

"Ginny, honey, it's so good to see you," Anwen said, getting up and hugging the young girl. "Bill, it's nice to see you too," she said, releasing the younger Weasley to hug the older one.

"Good to see you Anwen. Happy birthday," he said to her quietly.

"Oye! Do you have to do that in front of other people?" Ron moaned, and we all turned to see Harry welcoming Ginny in a way that only he would. "She's my little sister, and Bill's here," he whined.

"Hush up Ron, I've missed my boyfriend," Ginny reprimanded him as Harry speckled her neck with little kisses. It went on for about thirty seconds more.

"All right you two, that's enough," Bill scolded them, and the young lovebirds broke apart. We decided that we'd done enough work for one afternoon, and I would move our plan forward by getting a message to Targnof in the morning. Anwen could change my appearance for me, and we could go into town dressed as the Muggle couple that used our bank accounts here.

Kreacher made Anwen her favorite dinner, and then we shared in Molly Weasley's homemade birthday cake. After dinner, I got out her CD player, and we listened and danced to music. Tonks stayed seated on the couch, she was huge and uncomfortable; but at least she had stopped shooting sparks from her fingers now. Remus stayed by her side, convinced that she would go into labor at any minute. She would be giving birth at the Manor, Anwen, Lily, Andromeda and Molly helping her.

James and Lily danced slowly with one another, as did Harry and Ginny. Anwen was sitting curled up in my lap on our favorite chair, and Bill, Ron and Hermione were getting updates on the rest of the Weasley family, who were all in hiding now. Well, all of them except for Percy, who somehow had continued to work at the Ministry, still in the Minister's office.

"Have there been any bright spots in your birthday, love?" I asked my wife as I made small circles with my fingers on the flesh of her back, under her blouse.

"It was lovely to see Ginny again, and I always feel better seeing her with Harry. They remind me so much of the two of us," she said quietly, her fingers making lazy figure eights on my arm.

"That they do. I remember your birthday nineteen years ago. Might have been the happiest moment of my life to that point. When you kissed me back, and told me that you loved me too...it was the greatest gift," I told her honestly.

"So you remember it now?" she asked me.

"After you told me the whole story, pieces came back. There are still gaps in my memory, but I know all of the things that I need to know, and the last two years are crystal clear. I think that's all that matters," I promised her. We rarely talked about my near death experience or the months after.

"I am so completely and utterly in love with you..." she murmured as she brought her sweet lips to mine. I kissed her for a minute, and then I held her tightly, getting up from the chair and lifting her with me. I set her feet on the floor and pulled her against me, and we began moving to the music. I somehow had forgotten just how amazing and wonderfully her hips could move in time to the music. I held her there, dancing with her, my face nuzzled against the crown of her head, hers buried in my chest.

Song after song played, and I don't know how long any of us danced; but I think that we were all thankful for the pleasant respite from war. A piercing cry broke all of us free from our relaxation, and the room was suddenly a flurry of activity.

"Kids, get out of here, go to the back porch and apparate yourselves to the Manor. Someone, take Ginny," I yelled. The noise was the caterwaul charm on the first set of Wards for our house. There were still two more levels, each with increasing strength; the final being a blood ward, which was considered impenetrable.

"I've got her," Lily yelled quite literally scooping the young witch up and carrying her through the kitchen to the back porch.

"Sirius, open the floo for me. We can't apparate Tee in her condition," Moony yelled at me, and I followed him out of the Sitting Room and into the hallway where the floo fireplace was located. As we left the room, Anwen flew past me, headed toward the Library. We had arranged that if the wards at _Fair Garden _were to ever fall, the entire contents of the Library would be sent to the Ballroom at Potter Manor. There were just too many books here that we couldn't afford to lose. Anything else of any importance to Winnie and I was in the safe room, which would remain standing even if the rest of the house was lost. A rather large crack let me know that Winnie had succeeded in her mission as I resealed the floo behind the couple. That left James, Bill, Anwen and me to defend the house.

I extinguished the lights in the room, and we all took cover, ducking under the bench in the front window seat to look out onto the darkened lawn. A second louder and more gruesome scream was heard, and I knew that the second set of wards had fallen. We could see the Death Eaters now, six of them were out on the front lawn of _Fair Garden._ I couldn't make out faces, but I could tell from the hair color that one of them was Lucius Malfoy. _ He's not getting anywhere near my wife._

"Anwen, leave now. We'll handle this," I yelled at her as silent as a whisper.

"Like hell I'm leaving my house. They still can't get at me, the blood wards are holding. Let's see if we can get them to leave on their own accord," she harped back and then lifted her hands, and I could see them glowing with magic. She raised them up, and her magic shot out at the final set of wards for the house; the entire bubble around our house glowed for a minute, and then we watched as lightening bolts leapt from it at the attackers. Five of them got their shields up in time, but she did manage to knock one of them out with the attack.

"You've gotta show me how to do that sometime," Bill quipped. One figure stepped forward, and seemed to be trying to touch the ward line. James and I looked at each other, trying to figure out what it was doing.

"The final ward is a blood ward, right?" Bill asked us.

"Yeah, the only people who can get through are the ones that we've used their blood. That's why the private floo is so important. We put in blood from the Marauder's and our wives, that lets us and our children through, but that's it. I hope Ginny's okay from apparating out of here, it probably burned her some," I replied, remembering that Ginny wasn't a blood relation, no matter how much she might feel that way.

"And you don't share enough blood with Bella or Narcissa to make it an issue. Andromeda can't get through, so neither should they," James added and I nodded in agreement.

"What the hell are they doing then?" I wondered aloud. We watched again as the figure was trying to find the ward line. Anwen sent several very powerful curses out of the wards, and knocked another one out. The Death Eaters tried to send curses through, but they kept ricocheting off and hitting the trees behind them.

"Idiots," Anwen muttered under her breath.

She tossed out another curse, and this one hit Lucius Malfoy dead center in the chest. He crumpled to the ground, and lay there motionless.

"Anwen, did you kill him?" I asked my wife.

"I wish. No, he's just stunned, really badly stunned, but only stunned. I want him to have to stand trial when all of this is over. Justice will be sweeter than vengeance," she told me curtly. _Two down, four to go._

I watched again as the figure that was standing near the wards lifted its wand again, and tried to find them. Anwen again electrified the wards, but this time they were all protected. One of the cloaked figures screeched at the one in front, "Just get it over with."

"Bella," Anwen whispered with disgust in her voice. The leader took a step, and we watched as the wards glowed, and then they passed through. He removed his hood and in the light from the moon and stars I could see that it was the young man who looked so like my brother. He turned and lifted his wand and we watched in horror as the wards glowed green and then shattered. Our house was left unprotected, and the other three Death Eaters were able to waltz up closer to the house.

Immediately the window that we were looking out of was shattered, and we covered ourselves to protect our skin from the breaking glass. I could hear voices outside screaming at one another, but they weren't speaking English. It sounded like French. I looked at Anwen.

"Bella's yelling at the young man, and there's another woman there that's speaking fluent French as well. His name is Bastien, hers is Felicienne I think. They're talking about finding you," she said to me quietly. "He's calling you Papa," she whispered as the blood drained from her face.

_Papa, I know enough French to know it means father. I can't be his father, I don't even know this woman._

I was thankful that James and Bill were there, because both Anwen and I had stopped dueling. I was watching her face, and she was listening to the conversation that was going on in French outside.

"Seduire`, her last name is Seduire`" Anwen said with perfect pronunciation of the French. I could feel the blood rush away from my face as well. _ That name seems somehow familiar._ I turned my eyes again to see outside and was horrified when I saw Bella igniting the air around her, and then sending the fire toward our home. The fireball rushed at the house, and I pulled Anwen away from the window, James and Bill retreating as well.

The fire rushed into the room, and quickly the entire Sitting Room was engulfed in flames. Another roaring fireball hit the other side of the house, and I knew that the library was now on fire as well.

"We've got to get out of here. Just apparate from here to the Manor. Bill come on, I'll bring you in, it's likely to hurt, but there won't be any lasting effects," James yelled as he grabbed onto the eldest Weasley and with a pop they were gone.

I pulled Anwen to me, but she twisted around to see the fire quickly overtaking our home. Once again her hands were glowing with magic, and I couldn't even imagine what she was up to now. I could feel her pulling on my magical reserves, and then she released a stream of pure energy from her that shot out the already blown apart window and knocked them all to the ground. I was pulling Anwen away, trying to get clear of the house before I apparated us to the Manor.

We heard a bloodcurdling scream, and then a young man's voice yelling "Mama, Mama" followed by a primal howl of pain. It was left ringing in our ears as we were pulled into the nothingness, and the arriving in a heap on the back lawn of Potter Manor. James and Lily were waiting for us, and helped us into the house.

Anwen's face was still pale, still emotionless, still not moving; small strangled noises were escaping her, but they had no reference or meaning. I couldn't even begin to think what might be going through her mind now. Lily helped her sit down on a kitchen chair, and had wrapped a blanket around her and then was rummaging through her potions kit for a vial of Draught of Peace; the only way to keep someone from going into shock.

"Was everyone alright?" I asked Lily and she nodded.

"Bill and Ginny were a little worse for wear, but he took them back to Shell Cottage alright. We thought it was best if she left here, not sure what might happen next," Remus told me and I affirmed that I understood.

"Felicienne Seduire," Anwen whispered, and at the name, Lily's nearly dropped the bottle in her hands.

"What about Felli?" Lily asked.

"She was there tonight," I told Lily. "She was with Bella when she set fire to _Fair Garden._"

Lily gasped. "How bad?" my friend questioned me about the fire, and I just shook my head at her. I had no doubt that our home had been lost. "Why was Felli there?" Lily questioned again.

"She was with the Death Eaters. How do you know her?" I asked her, and Lily looked shocked at my answer.

"Uh...she...she went to school with us. She was in Slytherin house, but she wasn't your typical Slytherin. Very smart, polite. She stayed in England for a year or so after graduation, but then went to France to live with some family there," Lily explained. "What was she doing there with Death Eaters?"

"She brought her son with her," Anwen spoke, her words dull and even. "He called Sirius Papa."

"What?" James asked and I just looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. _ I don't remember this woman, there's no way that I have a child with her, right?_

"They were outside, and Bella was yelling at him to bring the wards down. And she told him to get back at his father for ignoring him all these years. They must not know that I'm fluent in French, or they wouldn't have been talking that openly in front of us. Sirius that boy, Bastien, is your son, " Anwen continued to mumble.

"Anwen, he can't be my son, I don't remember that woman. If I slept with her, I should remember her," I pleaded with Anwen. She looked up at me and her anger against me had hardened her face.

"Sirius, I hate to break this to you, but there is no way that you'd remember every well that you dipped your Quill into. He has to be your son, that's the only way that he could have brought down the wards," she spewed at me.

"You can't be right. This must be a mistake."

"Right, because he's the spitting image of you and your brother -- it must be a mistake. Because he was able to walk through the wards -- it must be a mistake. James, what's the one weakness of blood warding? I think that your partner here needs to remember it!" she yelled as she stood. Anwen was shaking now, and her hands were glowing again, and I knew that she wasn't in control of her magic in the emotional state that she was in. I realized that we weren't alone, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Remus and Tonks were all standing around the kitchen and I was suddenly fearful for all of our safety.

"Sirius, Anwen's right," James said quietly and calmly, although his face betrayed him. "Blood warding can be broken by an immediate family member. We never worried about it with your house, because your only family are your..." and he stopped talking, realizing what word came next.

"...children," I finished for him.

Anwen was rocking back and forth and shaking and she was clearly on the verge of loosing control. "I can't believe this, I can't believe this," she kept muttering over and over again.

_What had I done? What the hell had I done? Why can't I remember this woman? Who is this boy and why didn't I know anything about him? _ My mind was racing in circles, and I felt myself spiraling downward. I reached out to hold onto Anwen, but as soon as my fingers grazed her skin, she turned and bellowed at me: "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

I ducked for cover, afraid that she was going to unleash the magic that was collecting on her at me, but was instead surprised when I heard a thud and looked at the floor next to my feet, and saw Anwen lying there. Remus had his wand drawn.

"She was out of control. I've only seen her like this once before, and she broke every window and cracked the walls and ceilings at the house in London. When she wakes up the magic will have drained off of her, and it'll be okay," he said sadly as he came over and lifted her up and carried her to the couch. Lily tilted her head and poured two potions down her throat.

"Draught of Peace and Dreamless Sleep. She's going to need time to recover, and even then, I don't expect her to talk much when she wakes up," Lily said as she stoked Anwen's face. "I would suggest that you three start trying to find out about Felli and her son."

**Anwen POV:**

"Ce n'était pas la madame difficile" _of course it wasn't difficult, I only had asked for birth records; _Renoir told me as I sat with him in a small cafe in Calais, sipping cafe au lait. King and I had made many friends while we were working with the Financial Crimes Task Force after the first war. Much of the money had been moved to France, and we had become close with several Aurors here. Those relationships had been maintained all of this time, and Renoir and his partner, Lisette, had been the closest. When I awoke from my potion induced slumber the day after the fire, I told Sirius that I would be going away for a few days, to use some of my contacts to try and get to the bottom of this matter with his supposed son. He had wanted to come with me, but I wanted to be alone. I also had every intention of flying as a bird from the Manor to Paris, and he would never have been able to keep up with me in his dog form. I was thankful for the days it took to reach my destination. Flying had always provided me with clarity and calmness.

Renoir pushed a satchel across the table at the cafe toward me, and I took it and opened it. The top sheet was a birth certificate from a hospital in Vezelay for Bastien Seduire Black, born December 30, 1980. His parents were listed as Sirius Orion Black of London, England, and Felicienne Eva Seduire of Vezelay. It was listed as a live birth, at 36 weeks gestation. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I looked behind the birth certificate to find financial statements, pictures and records from Beauxbatons. He should have been graduating this year, he was only a few months younger than Harry. I knew that they allowed anyone born in a given calendar year to start school together. If he had lived in England, he would have been a year behind Harry.

"Merci pour vorte aide," I told him, thanking him for his help. I really didn't want someone that I had worked with see me break down over my husbands bastard son.

"Je m'excuse ainsi de la douleur cela vous a provoqués," Renoir said quietly as he took my hand trying to console me, knowing that the information had upset me. I nodded at him, recognizing that forming words would simply make me cry more and he replied; "Faites-moi savoir si je peux vous aider de plus."

I nodded again, but I knew that I would not need any more assistance. He threw some francs on the table to cover our coffee and pastry, and then slipped out of the cafe. I was thankful for his help, if not necessarily the information that he had produced. I sat there a moment longer, and then contemplated what I was going to do. I got up and went behind the cafe, and changed my appearance over to my Muggle disguise, and then went and purchased a ticket for the train ride through the Chunnel, back to England, and then I would hopscotch my apparitions back home, making a stop at Shell Cottage to thank Bill for his help in defending our house that night. At some point I knew that I would have to return to the Manor, it had been nearly a week, and my family would most likely be getting worried; but I needed another day or so to think.

The unwanted answer to my calculations was haunting me. I could only pray that it was some sort of a mistake.


	50. Chapter 50

**Author's Note: I wasn't going to post until tomorrow, but the outrage that I got in my reviews over Bastien Black was so severe that I figured I had better upload today. For anyone who still might be confused, yes Bastien really is Sirius son -- I'm telling you no more, some answers are given in this chapter, but the rest are in the next story. There is a lot of music for this chapter: "Things You Said" by Depeche Mode, "Map of the Problemeque" by Muse, "Winnowing Field" by Jars of Clay and "Dig" by Jars of Clay. You might need to have your copy of Deathly Hallows around, just to remember who was dueling whom in the original, and what the differences are in this one. One last comment about this chapter, Anwen has a speech in the middle of the chapter, when you get to it, you'll know it. I have often said that Anwen is my doppelganger, and her words here are the words that I have for my husband. This chapter is dedicated to him, and for his constant love for me. Enjoy reading, only one chapter left after this, and then next week I will start with Restored. My deepest thanks to all of you who are reading, and please, take the time to review -- it means so very much to me. I don't own Harry Potter, but I would hope that my little alternative world would be acceptable to the author and publisher, should they ever see it. Thanks again, and now on with the Battle of Hogwarts. Mutt**

**Chapter 49:**

**Battle**

**Anwen POV:**

"He's beautiful, you've done so well," I told Tonks, as I sat on their couch, holding the young boy. He had turned his hair a most delightful shade of green while he looked at me. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't here when you needed me..."

"Anwen, hush up," she said bluntly to me. "I had more than enough help, too much help to be honest. I did fine, and little Teddy is here, and all is well," she said, cooing at her son as I handed him back. "Have you talked with him yet?"

"He doesn't know that I've returned. I'm still trying to gather my thoughts," I said calmly, but I knew that they could both read beneath my exterior.

"Anwen, you have to know that it doesn't change anything about how he loves you..." Remus told me, and I looked up at my dearest friend and closest confidant and I need not say a word for him to understand me. I took a deep breath and then smiled.

"I suppose that I need to go and face the music now, don't I?" I said as I got up. "I am so sorry that I wasn't here, and that the Lullaby Box that I had made for your child hadn't survived the fire. I promise that I will construct another as soon as I can."

"I'll walk over with you," Remus said to me quietly, and we left the small gate house for the walk back up to the Manor. I was relieved to see life budding around us, it somehow gave me the hope that everything would not forever be barren and cold; that the darkness that had so completely filled me inside might once again thaw as well. "You've been gone so long, Sirius is near sick with worry," he told me over the sound of our feet crunching the shell and gravel pathway.

"I called him twice, once from Monaco, while I was awaiting information from Renoir; and once I was back in England. I needed to..." I stopped and looked at him square in the face. "I've built a life with him, and yet it's based on a falsehood; and the most damnable thing is that it was of my own making. I honestly believed that when he fell in love with me, he stopped his...and he couldn't have, if this son was conceived when it appears he was. I knew what I was marrying. I knew better than anyone who he was, my heart just wanted to believe that he loved me more, and that he'd changed for...me."

"Anwen, while you were away, he begged me to go into his memories, to look for anything about this woman, she's not there. He's telling you the truth," Remus told me, and I had no reason to doubt him, but I was so scared to do so.

"Really?"

"Anwen, he didn't so much as look at another woman for months before he started with you. That might be his child, but he has no memory of fathering him. He certainly didn't do anything after you were together."

I resumed walking toward the main house, my mind still a jumble. I had no idea what I was going to say to Sirius when I saw him, or what would happen when I gave him the satchel that was shrunk and hiding in my pocket. It felt impolite to walk right into the house, even though I knew that we would be living here -- we had no where else to go; nonetheless, I followed Remus in through the back patio door, and into the mud room.

"Remus, Tonks, is that you?" I heard Lily call from the kitchen. "The guys are in the Ballroom with the kids, trying to figure out how to get into..." she stopped speaking when Remus and I walked into the kitchen. "Winnie," she said, dropping what she was working on and throwing her arms around me. "I've been so worried, and Sirius, he's been...where have you been?"

"I was in France for a week, tracking down information on his son and then, I've been all over Britain. I went to the land that the farm was on, I've been inside Grimmauld, I went to and saw the ruins of _Fair Garden_. I stayed with Bill and Fleur for a few days, and went over to see Molly, Arthur and Ginny too. I finally decided that it was time to come home."

I hadn't realized that she had pulled me into the Sitting Room, or that Remus had left us. It wasn't until I heard his voice mingled with that of my husband's in the foyer that I became aware of what was about to happen. His lanky frame was in the doorway, and it seemed that he had grown more wrinkles and gray hair in the weeks that I had been gone. As soon as he was there, my body felt pulled to him, and my heartbeat quickened to a race within my chest. I moved past Lily, unable to take my eyes off of him. He closed the distance between us and then his arms were around me, pulling me to him forcefully.

"Winnie, my Winnie, I'm so sorry. I don't know who she is, but I love you, I have always loved you..." he was mumbling against my head.

"Shh," I said, trying to get him to stop. I just wanted to hold him. "I shouldn't have run off without you, I just needed answers...I needed to think..."

"Don't. You don't have to justify anything with me. Did you find what you were looking for?" I nodded against him, and reached into the pocket of my cloak and withdrew the satchel and restored it to regular size. I pulled him to the love seat and sat down with him. James and the kids had entered the room, and they were all looking at us as Sirius pulled the papers from the case and began to review them.

"December 30, 1980...what does this mean here?" he said, pointing at the number thirty-six. The document was in French and he couldn't read it.

"It means that he wasn't born full term. He was born a month early, at thirty-six weeks gestation," I explained, waiting to see if anyone else caught on.

"That would mean that he was conceived in April 1980," Lily said, her eyes getting wide.

"Late April 1980. You're right Lily," I told her, confirming what I could already see on her face.

"What am I missing? What happened in 1980?" James asked, clearly clueless.

"I turned 17, graduated from Hogwarts, didn't live with Sirius full time until June of that year. You and he left on my birthday for Bulgaria, and were gone for weeks."

"Anwen, I swear on everything that I am that I did not sleep with her, and I most definitely did not do it after we were together," he made an oath at me. I caressed his hand.

"Remus told me that he was in your memories, and that she isn't there. We'll just have to find out what happened then," I assured him, stroking his face. I wanted to be angry at him, but I wasn't able to, not without all of the information. "The magic has proved, he is your son." No one said anything for a moment, and I could barely stand all of the tension that was building in the room. "So, tell me, did you get the cup from Gringotts yet?"

"Yeah, and man, it was easy," Harry chirped up and began telling me the tale. They had arranged everything with Targnof, and James and Sirius went into the bank, with the kids in tow, but all of them completely disguised. They met Targnof, as arranged, and went down to where the oldest vaults were -- both the Potter and Black Family vaults are on that level. They passed a sleeping dragon, and decided to just let it sleep. _Good thing to know that they learned something at Hogwarts, the meaning of the school motto._ When they got to the Lestrange vault, Targnof opened it, and they began to search for it.

"I was about to grab the thing, but then that goblin stopped me, telling me that it had some sort of a curse on it, and if I touched it I would be sorry. He pulled some sort of a special bag thing from his vest and summoned the thing, and it went into the bag. Then he sprinkled it with some strange powder and it glowed a really ugly red, and then he said we could touch it," Ron said. I nodded at him.

"We went back up to the bank proper, and walked out, carrying the Horcrux with us. The whole thing only took like twenty minutes, and there was no drama involved at all. This is why it's good to have a plan before you go rushing into things," Hermione added, and I smiled because she was a girl after my own heart.

"Have you destroyed it yet?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Mum made this potion and poured it over it, and then put a shield charm over the whole thing and we watched as the little bit of soul tried to get out, and then it just, vanished," Harry said. I was glad that they hadn't gone through the same ordeal that they had destroying the necklace. The amount of power that it contained was truly frightening.

"So what's the plan now?" I asked. However, before I could answer a patronus flew into the window and a bat materialized in mid air.

"He knows what you've been up to, and he's after you. Come to Hogwarts to formulate a plan," the voice of Severus Snape beckoned, and then evaporated. No one moved for a moment, and then, there was a flourish of activity as we all prepared to leave for Hogwarts.

**Sirius POV:**

I was holding her weak and exhausted body against me in the Owlery. It was foul smelling and damp and dark, but it afforded her the best vantage point for shielding as many of those involved in the battle as she could. Her body was shaking violently against me, and I wasn't even sure if she was conscious any longer or not. I just rocked her back and forth, whispering to her that the battle had stopped for now, and that we were safe. I pulled my watch from my pocket and flipped it open. _Forty-three minutes left. How much power can she recover in that time?_

When we got here, we started dividing up. Lily was helping with getting the younger students out, while James went to work with Kingsley on battle plans. Remus was to stay with Harry, Ron and Hermione while they sought out the last of the Horcruxes. Anwen wanted to shield as many kids as she could, and that required someone to be with her, as she was completely vulnerable in this state. She would also need to draw upon our combined magic.

As the battle started, things were somewhat organized, well, as organized as such things can be. But then we saw Tonks rush by, followed closely by Ginny and I had no idea how they both had ended up here; or why they were here at all. We were going to follow them, but we ran into the Lestrange brothers. Anwen and I were just trying to get out of there, when a large window over them exploded, and then we saw them being restrained. I turned around to see who had helped us, and was surprised when I saw Cedric Diggory there.

"Nice shot there Cedric," I yelled, lifting my head up at him.

"Glad to help," he yelled as he jogged off in the other direction, catching up with the girl that Harry had the crush on, whatever her name was. _Glad to see that he's recovered._

We continued farther and we saw Bella fighting with Tonks, and Anwen seemed genuinely worried. She lifted her hand and unleashed a body binding curse like I had never seen. Bella fell to the floor, unable to move or scream. Tonks was able to run off, engaging in another battle, and bringing down the Death Eater Dolohov in her path.

Anwen and I made it up to the Owlery and I watched as she was visualizing the battle, trying to shield as many kids as she could. She continued to talk to me, telling me what was going on, and I kept the battle as far away from us as possible. She guarded Ron, Hermione and Harry as they found the final Horcrux and destroyed it; and then watched as they were off again, under his father's invisibility cloak, which made it hard for Anwen to find them. When the battle had ceased, she wasn't sure where they were, but I knew that she needed to rest. The minute she pulled herself out of the visualization, she collapsed against me.

_Twenty-seven minutes. I wonder if I can give her another blood strengthening potion yet?_

I felt her move against me, and mumble something. When she had heard Voldemort's voice echo against the stones of the room she appeared more frightened than I had ever seen her, even going back to when she was just that little first year that had to climb up to get to the seat of the stool for her sorting.

"Siri..." she mumbled again, and I twisted her against me so that I could look into her eyes. Her bright, verdant eyes were now dark as pitch, and her fingers were still glowing slightly.

"Shh, love, nothing's happening. Just rest." Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away. "Love, it's going to be fine, we're together and when this is over, we're going to get our children and bring them home and live happily ever after," I promised her, keeping my lips against her forehead while I spoke.

"I'll follow you..." she whimpered through her exhaustion.

"Follow me where, love?"

"Wherever you go. I will not stay in this world without you," she said, her breaths were becoming ragged and I found myself breathing in time with her. I wanted to tell her to stop, I refused to say goodbye to her. _ We were going to make it out of this, we had to. _"Sirius, I have loved you for as long as I've known you. I was made to love you, to be your wife and your lover; your muse and your sparring partner. I have worshipped your body and tended your wounds. I have kissed every inch of your skin and felt content and safe in your arms. It is your heart that beats within my chest, and your love that courses through my veins. I bound myself to your body, heart and soul and I have given myself to you naked and vulnerable. I have grown and borne your children with humble joy. Your life is woven into mine, so closely knitted together that we couldn't pull them apart if we wanted to. If you don't survive, know that I will not either. Wherever you go, I will follow you," she whispered and in my life I had not ever appreciated just how much I loved her. Those few words had summed up our entire relationship, and my mind awoke as if I had never understood the depth of our love. I twisted her so that she was now straddling my lap, facing me. I ran my fingers over her face, tracing the delicate features that were as well known to me as my own. Her own nimble fingers came up and moved along my face.

"I will never leave you my darling, and I will not say goodbye to you. We will make it through this, we have five beautiful children that need us, and the promise of living free of this war. I will never leave you, for I couldn't..." She looked so fragile and weak before me and I needed to give her something to bolster her strength. I lifted my right wrist and gently kissed the hidden tattoo of her name from our wedding. As my lips moved against it, she closed her eyes and threw her head back, faltering for breath; as if in ecstasy.

Her eyes met mine, and we held one another's gaze for what felt like a lifetime, until she finally kissed me with such passion, love and devotion I was truly fearful that she thought this was goodbye. When she finally reopened her eyes after our lips had parted, there was resolution in her features.

"I suppose I should try and find Harry and the others again," she mumbled, and shifted herself once again in my lap and she closed her eyes. I wound my arms tighter against her, hoping that maybe I could fuse our bodies into one so that I would never have to contemplate being without her.

I watched as he eyes fluttered beneath her lids, and she began mumbling. "What...what are you doing? Harry...Harry, no...turn around right now," she said, getting angry and upset.

"Anwen, Anwen, what's happening?" I asked her, alarmed. Her physical body went slack against me, and I watched as her astral self stepped from her body and flung itself out of the window. _What the hell did he do now?_

**Anwen POV:**

_I couldn't believe it as I made my way across the field. Why the hell was he saying goodbye to Neville? What was he telling Neville to do if he didn't survive? _ I flew across the field, knowing if anyone saw me, they would simply think that it was another Patronus charm, rather than a fully sentient vision of me. He had covered himself with the Invisibility cloak again, but with so few out here, I could find his magic easily. I had never seen a golden red like it, and I doubted that I ever would.

He was to the edge of the forest when I got in his way, and made him stop. He lifted the cloak off of his face, leaving it draped around his shoulders, hiding the rest of his body.

"Aunt Winnie, please, go back to your body. I need to do this," he said, sounding so defeated.

"No Harry, you don't," I pleaded with him, knowing if I could cry in this form I would be. _ I hope that my body isn't crying right now, I'd freak Sirius out._ "We've done everything so that it wouldn't come to this. Please Harry, don't go in there."

"I know you've tried to stop this; but I also know that there isn't any other way. I have to face him, I have prove to him that love is stronger than any Dark Magic. Dumbledore always knew that it would be like this. He left me the information that I needed, but what I learned about the power of love came from my family," he choked out. My face was contorting as I tried to remain in control of my emotions.

"I'm bound to all of you: Mum, Dad, Evan, Emma, Hope, Ginny, Uncle Sirius. I know that your love is what is going to end this. Please, let me go, let me do this. It falls to me, Aunt Winnie, please," he begged me, and I saw in his face that he was no longer that little boy who loved grape jelly sandwiches, nor the young man that baulked at doing his Latin homework. I nodded at him, recognizing that I needed to help him do this.

"Wait here, just for a second, please," I asked him and he nodded at me. I projected a shield over him, and then pulled myself away. As my astral self crossed back over the field, I located James and Lily tending to the wounded, and Remus sending Tonks away with her mother and Teddy. I quickly returned to my body, still being cradled by Sirius, who was looking at my body with awe, wonder, devotion and frustration all at once. I went back into myself, but I did not open my eyes; I instead reached out and grabbed the essences of Sirius, Remus, Lily and James and projected them to Harry, still standing on the edge of the forest, waiting for me to return.

The five stood looking at each other, Harry a disembodied head; James, Lily, Remus and Sirius all looking like ghostly whispers of themselves.

"What? How? What are you?" Harry stammered out, and the rest were looking at each other.

"Anwen," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I don't know how she's done it..."

"She's projecting all of us?" James stammered.

"Why? Why did she bring us here? Harry, what are you doing?" Lily beckoned her son.

"Mum, I have to go and face him," he said quietly, and they all began to protest; but Harry slipped a hand out of his cloak and held it up. "Listen carefully, I have to be the one that does this, I have to face him. We can keep battling all night, we can continue this fight, but its only going to lead to another battle. This needs to end tonight, and I have to be the one to do it; and I have to do it away from where others can get hurt," he said calmly, suddenly seeming so much older than his seventeen years.

"Fine, let us come with you. This family is better at dueling than most of the Auror's out there," Sirius argued, and I couldn't help but smile at the impetuous streak that still ran wild in my husband. Harry shook his head at his godfather.

"You can't come with me, not like that anyway. I have to do this, and I have to do it alone. You've all prepared me; I'm ready," he responded quietly.

"Why? Why must you go alone?" Remus asked.

"He's vain enough to ask the Death Eaters to stay out of it. He wants it to be the two of us, and he's stupid enough to not understand that it will be his undoing. The potion is in my system, and my godmother will throw her super shield over me," he pronounced, and I felt my heart burst. _He has never referred to me that way. Sirius was always his godfather, and I was his Aunt Winnie._

"All of my life you've raised me to understand that I was loved and special. You taught me the importance of what every person can bring to this world, and why they all have to be treasured. You broadened my mind and stretched my heart, and I love my family -- but I have to do this. Love, that's my power. I know a deeper, purer love than most people will ever know, and certainly more than He has ever in his darkest desires thought existed. I can do this because you all loved me, cared for me, taught me, shielded me and let me live. Please, let me go and do what I have to do," he pleaded with them. Somehow I could see Lily lean against James, his arm protectively wrapped around her.

"I am honored to be your father. Go on son, and do what you need to do. No matter what happens, I am so proud of you," he said, and I could tell that he wished that he could hug his son, but there was no way he could.

"One can be measured in this life by the company that they keep. Harry, I have never been so humbled to be in anyone's presence as I am now. God speed, lad," Remus uttered, and Harry nodded at him. "Teddy will be looking for you when this is done," he added, reminding Harry that he had been named the young boy's godfather.

"Make sure that you come back. I'd hate to be the one to have to tell that pretty girl of yours that you're gone," Sirius joked. "Your Aunt Winnie won't leave you, know that she's there and draw strength from her. And get at least one good joke off before you kill him, I mean really, the guy has no nose, that's gotta be worth something," my beloved added and I was grateful for his breaking the tension.

"How I want to hold you right now," Lily said, and I was sure that she was crying somewhere. "The day that you came into my life, my heart burst apart with love for you my baby, and it has been stretched and reshaped time and time again. I love you more than you could ever understand, and you won't, until the day you have a child of your own in your arms. Promise me that I will get to hold you again, that I will feel my arms around you, and that I can once again tell you that I love you."

"I'll do all I can Mum, I promise. Tell Ginny I love her, with every breath and every heartbeat, I love her," he asked.

"I will son, I will. Go on, the hour is almost up. Love saved you once, it will do it again," James said, and we all watched as he covered himself up with the cloak again.

"Harry, wait here for a moment, your Aunt is going to need to find you, and after doing all of this, she's going to be exhausted," Sirius asked him and Harry replied a quiet, "All right."

I pulled all of them out from the vision, doing it with such speed and lack of grace that I was sure that they would all be woozy if not sick when they got back to their bodies, but I needed to get to Harry before he took off on his own. As soon as I was free of my passengers, I separated myself from my physical body and changed into an astral kestrel and flew with all of my speed to the forest. I landed not far from Harry and changed back into my physical body.

"Aunt Winnie," I heard Harry's disembodied voice say to me, "did you just merge your Animagus and your astral projection?"

"I think I did. I've never done it before, it was...wild. Harry, you're sure about this?"

"The only thing I was ever more sure about was being in love with Ginny," he told me honestly.

"All right then, I'll be right behind you," I promised and together we went deep into the forest. I followed him as he followed some Death Eaters, silently casting a shield over him as well as watching what was going on around him. When we reached the clearing, I felt fear radiating off of Harry like nothing that I had ever known.

"Aunt Winnie," he whispered, "forgive me."

Before I could ask him what he needed forgiveness for I watched him turn around, and point his wand at my astral self and mutter a charm. I was thrown back, through the forest, through the field and back into the Owlery. I reattached myself to my body with such force that I was thrown from my feet, knocking both Sirius and I over.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, helping me to get up. My body was drenched in sweat, and I was shaking all over.

"He threw me off, how the hell? Why did he do that?" I screamed. I started pulling all of the magic that I could in toward me, I needed to go and find him again, get the shield back up.

"Anwen, Anwen you have to stop. It's too much, let him go. He knows what he's doing," he begged me.

"No, I have to protect him," I screamed at my husband. I kept pulling the magics in, but as I tried to go and look for Harry, I couldn't. There was too much, I couldn't control all of it, and all of a sudden it burst out of me. I felt like I was on fire and all I could do was scream.

There was a loud crack, and I felt Sirius' arms around me, pulling me toward him.

The world went dark. My body felt like it was still on fire, but the burning had changed from the scalding pain of the magic to something deeper and more encompassing, like the fire had moved into my body, burning its way out. My mind couldn't get hold of anything, and a swirling gray mist began to cover everything.

And then everything was black.


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: So this is it, the final chapter of Woven. I will warn everyone, there is a tissue warning with this chapter, I bawled when I reread it today. The opening conversations between Anwen and Sirius were written by a friend and I, taking the characters and sparing back and forth. I think that you'll find much of the conversation amusing. Thanks go to my amazing beta, Peter, for keeping up with me, and for helping me tweak the writing so that it was better. There is again lots of music for this chapter: "Til Kingdom Come" by Coldplay, "The Long Fall" by Jars of Clay, "Window in the Sky" by U2 and "Water Under the Bridge" by Jars of Clay. Again, thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing. "Restored" will be up in a few days. Mutt**

**Chapter 50:**

**End**

**Anwen POV:**

"Well, will you look at that?" I said, pointing down to the activity that was below us. "Look at how hard they're all working."

"They want to dig us out of there, love. They don't know if we're alive or not," he replied.

"Do we?" I responded.

"Well, you're in my arms, so to be honest, I'm not worried about it," he replied, and I snuggled closer to him.

"Do you have any idea how we get back into our bodies?" I asked him.

"Are you in that much of a rush to go back?" he teased as his lips wound their way down my neck.

"Not if you keep doing that I won't be. Honestly, I doubt that either of those bodies down there are in any condition for what you're doing to me now," I whimpered as my head lolled on my neck. "Damn, love, you're amazing," I moaned and I could hear the lightest guffaw escape him. "I've missed you," I muttered, understanding it had been weeks since we had held each other this way. It didn't matter that we weren't actually in our bodies. I had never been so happy that my husband knew how to touch me with such perfection.

I was suddenly aware that there was another presence with us. I turned my head to see Perenelle moving toward us. "You know, it's never a good thing when your dead mentor shows up while your disembodied," I quipped and both she and my love laughed.

"Anwen, I've shown up before," she chastised me.

"Yes, but the last time was in a dream; and you told me that I was going to have another baby. Bloody hell, please don't tell me that I'm gonna get pregnant again, now. Not like that body down there looks like it can, but really...I mean really, my boobs are shot to hell already, I only keep them perky because of magic," I bemoaned the idea of spending another nine months puking and bloated.

"Whether you have any more children or not is entirely dependent upon the choices that you make now. And my dear, your boobs are fine," she told me, and I was shocked that Perenelle would say such a thing.

"I heartily agree," Sirius said, his hand moving to caress the left one under the..._what is this that I've got on? _I moved his hand away.

"Do you think that you could refrain from fondling me in front of Perenelle? Honestly, it's like you copping a feel in front of my Ma."

"Sorry love, but they're there, and we were talking about them," he justified and I rolled my eyes at him.

"You know, you roll your eyes so much, I'm surprised that they ever stay still in your head. We all know who he is, dear; life is never dull with Sirius around," Perenelle quipped and Sirius preened...and I found myself rolling my eyes once again.

"So, you want to give us a clue as to what's going on?" I asked her.

"Why don't you try and figure it out," she said calmly, and I remembered her love of puzzles.

"Well, clearly, one, if not both of us, are mortally wounded and on the brink between life and death," I told her and she nodded at me. "You've arrived to either shepherd us on, or help us go back. Rather cliched don't you think?"

"My dear, you're the one who has studied religions all over the world, why don't you tell me if it's cliched or not?" she told me and I remembered just how infuriating she could be to work with.

"It is. I'll play along, just as long as you don't go spouting on about all of the grand things we've done, and how we can get all of our questions answered; but it is cliched," I responded, getting Perenelle to settle down near us.

"How are you feeling?" she asked and I stopped to consider my response.

"Tired," I answered.

"Relieved," Sirius piped in, and I looked at him puzzled. "Hell, it's over Winnie. Harry is alive, see he's down there levitating and banishing rocks next to his father. Damn, they look way too much alike, but his eyes are Lily's."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't say that around him, he hates it. Everyone says it to him. I honestly expect him to go to some Muggle optometrist to get colored contact lenses so he's rid of those damned glasses and his eye color. Wait, if he's alive...then..." I was afraid to hope.

"Yes, child. Voldemort is indeed dead. Harry has an amazing story to tell you when he can," Perenelle confirmed. "Do you remember any of it?"

"I don't. The last thing I remember was that he...he cursed me," I said with the memory dawning on me and feeling indignant. "He did something to throw me off of him and then, there was this burning pain. What happened?" I looked at Perenelle, but she just smiled a knowing smile at me and I sighed exasperated.

"Pay her no mind love, we're together, and this is over," he whispered to me and I succumbed to him breathing a sigh of relief as Sirius brought his lips to mine. We kissed far too intimately to be in front of anyone else, and yet, there we were, engaged in a passionate snog. After a while, I remembered that we had company. I was surprised to see her reading something, and paying us no heed.

"Perenelle, we're sorry..." I started but she brushed her hand as if to tell me to pay it no mind.

"Child, I was once like you with my husband, still am on occasion. Love is nothing to be trifled with, of that you must be well aware. You're just expressing the power of your devotion," she told me, and I nodded at her. "Have you noticed anything about your husband?" I scrunched up my face and looked at her, and then looked at Sirius. He looked exactly the same, but as I was staring at him, I became acutely aware that I could remember things in his life -- things I wasn't part of. Shock and surprise were scribed on my face, and it was apparent that the same thing had happened to him.

"Your first sexual fantasy was about riding with me on my broom again? How 'bout if you ride me, while we ride the broom?" he asked me, sounding shocked and surprised and I buried my head in my hands. I searched through my new found memories to find something to embarrass him with.

"Really, you sometimes change into a dog just so you can lick your own balls. Honestly Sirius, that's the mouth you kiss your children with?" I teased him and he looked at me, begging for forgiveness.

We sat there looking at each other, finding revelation after revelation in these new memories, our faces reflecting our emotions as we encountered things we'd never known. Some were silly, some were embarrassing and there were many that were profound. "You really don't know who she was..." I muttered and he nodded once again bringing his lips to mine.

"How did this happen?" I finally queried Perenelle.

"There isn't any consensus on this side; Nicholas seems to think that it has something to do with the strength of your binding finally being realized. Albus thinks that your combined magic has bound your minds as well. I however think that the two of you have crossed into a depth of devotion and love that are rarely seen by humans. Your professions before the final battle, and then the strength of the magic you embodied, have given your love a transcendence that has rarely been recorded in human history. Your love is immortal, although you two are not. Oh, but Merlin and Godric are still debating the point, so there may be more opinions."

"What does it mean?" I asked her, feeling very overwhelmed by it all. The calm peace of a few minutes ago had left me.

"I wish that I knew. That will be an adventure for the two of you to discover," she told me, and I cringed.

"Will we be able to? I don't think that either of our bodies are doing well," I confessed; realizing that I could locate the injuries to Sirius as well as my own, without being in pain from them.

We stopped talking and all were watching the flurry below.

"Sirius, it would seem that our family survived," I said looking at all of the people below. "Lily shouldn't be lifting such things, she looks so weak," I complained.

"Anwen, you're buried under there; Lily would personally blast away as much of that rock as she could to get to you. It's Remus I'm worried about, I swear he looks gripped with panic. Do I look that old?" I chose not to answer him, Remus had always looked old, I had always thought that it was because of his being a werewolf. We remained quiet as we watched their work.

"Perenelle, who died? How many did we loose?" I begged her and she smiled at me.

"Anwen, none were lost on your side. There were some serious injuries, it would appear that yours and Sirius' are the gravest, but none of the forces for light were lost. The other side has suffered heavy casualties. You shielded everyone, and no one was lost, with the exception of Severus Snape; but nothing could have saved him. You can't play both sides for that many years and hope to live to tell your tale," she told me, and I felt a twinge of grief for the man. I had never liked him, but I certainly didn't wish him dead.

"Is he at peace now?" Sirius asked, and I was touched that he was concerned with the state of the soul of someone that he had hated for most of his life. He turned his eyes back to me, and caressed my face. "He gave too much, no one should have ever been asked to sacrifice what he did. I just hope that he has some peace now," he told me, and I took him in my arms and held him to me, overwhelmed at my love for him.

"He is. He was welcomed with open arms here, and right now is engaged in some mental sparring with others. Severus is happy for the first time in many, many years. Oh, and he thinks whatever happened was entirely Anwen's doing, as you're a good-for-nothing, Sirius," Perenelle told us with a sly smile. _Good to know some things don't change. I wonder who he's debating?_

We continued to watch the activity below us with rapt attention. Kingsley was being begged to come away, to help make plans at the Ministry; but he would not leave the work. Arthur and several of the boys, including Percy worked along his side. I couldn't find Molly, Fleur or Fred, and I was concerned for them. The Hogwarts staff and students, our family and friends, everyone was working together to obliterate the pile of rubble that was upon our bodies. I pointed to Sirius, for him to watch Harry and Ginny. Harry would look over at Ginny with deep affection and awe. She was struggling to move the rubble through her sobs, but whenever their eyes would meet, she would be still and gain enough resolve to continue.

"He's going to get her into bed soon. Perhaps I should give him some tips on seduction," he postured, and I giggled at him.

"You're about a year late there, dear. Ginny seduced him last summer. What do you think was going on when they visited our house all year?" I asked him shocked. "Wow, are you off your game," I teased.

"Wait, how do you know?"

"She came to me for help and advice."

"Why did she come to you?" he asked and I looked at him perplexed.

"Um, because I'm a woman...and she knows I have sex...often."

"Can't believe that he didn't come to me...been looking forward to that conversation since he was born...what's the point of being a godfather if you can't help with the little wizard gets some action talk..." Sirius was muttering under his breath, and I rubbed his back and kissed him passionately to take his mind off his disappointment.

They continued for what seemed like forever, and Sirius and I simply hovered, wound up in one another and reveling in our closeness. It felt like I couldn't be close enough to him, hold him tight enough, be near him. It reminded me of the night of our magical binding before our wedding. Every brush of his lips against me, every caress seemed to ignite my flesh. I could read in his emotions that it was doing the same for him.

When they finally got to the bottom of the pile, I gasped at the sight of our mangled bodies. Blood was everywhere, and I wasn't even sure how we were still alive. "My God Sirius, the blood...oh Sirius, your head," I mumbled, feeling the need to tighten his grip around me. There was an open gash across his scull and down his face, and he was covered in blood. It would seem that when we fell, my body had covered most of his, and there were multiple deep cuts across my back, giving my torso the appearance of raw meat. James removed the final boulder from the lower half of our bodies, and I had to fight down the urge to be sick. My right leg was bent in a completely un-natural way, and most of the flesh had been ripped away from it.

Remus quickly removed his cloak and gingerly covered me, and put a stabilizing charm on me, and then lifted me in his strong arms. I watched as he weeped, obviously fearful that I would die from my wounds. James did the same with Sirius' body. The scene changed as they Portkeyed to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey and Healer Orlaf began barking orders and trying to assess our condition. The entire entourage that had been digging us out seemed to have suddenly appeared in the hospital ward, and Poppy had to send them away. As she undressed my body, and I got to see the full extent of the wounds I turned away, I couldn't watch any more.

"Why were we so badly injured? What happened to the Owlery?" I queried.

"You, my dear child. You were what happened," she said cryptically. I looked at her in disbelief. "We only have theories here, mind you, none of us has ever seen anything like this. The amount of power that you used to project his family to Harry was astounding. It was the purest, most ancient magic that you tapped into."

"Love," I whispered, once again looking at Sirius full of devotion.

"You learned your lessons well, Anwen. Yes, you tapped into the universal force of love, as did Harry to defeat Voldemort, but that is his story to tell you. When he pushed you away, you accessed deeper into that power. When you couldn't find him, you released a shield the likes of which has never been seen. The sky glowed with it and the magic within all of your comrades shimmered. Many had never seen their own magic, and it was a bit shocking for them. The entire field glowed in the most amazing prism of magic. It simultaneously fused the bond with your beloved," she said and I reached up and stroked his face, "and blew out the building. The masonry of the Owlery couldn't withstand the shock wave, and you were crushed under the rubble."

"Why weren't we protected?" Sirius asked, his hands rubbing lazy circles along my arms and back.

"We don't know, all of that protective magic just rushed out. There are theories, and I'm sure that at some point Albus will come to you in a dream and tell you, but we might never know. Don't trouble yourself on it. What happens next is up to you," she said again, and I looked at her puzzled. She proceeded to take some knitting out of a bag that appeared next to the chair she was sitting in and start manipulating the needles in their back and forth pattern.

I turned my gaze below and watched as they had to charm away the hair on Sirius head in order to clean and begin repairing his wound. They were having trouble getting it to close. We could hear what they were saying. I watched intently as there was a hushed conversation between James, Lily and Remus with Healer Orlaf over my body.

"Perenelle, can I get them a message?" I asked her, and she put her knitting down.

"I don't know. Why don't you try," she replied.

I thought about it, trying to give them the courage to do what obviously needed to be done. I had complete understanding of what the ramifications would be, but I also knew that I would not survive if they did not do what the Healer was suggesting. I watched as Lily slumped against James and Remus knelt down to kiss my forehead. A moment later the healer detached the broken and un-repairable part of my leg; and began healing the rest of the leg.

"You told them to take your leg?" Sirius asked me, and I nodded, unable to form words just yet. I took a steadying breath, and waited for his follow up. "Why?"

"I could feel my body telling me that it couldn't get better without the leg being gone. Remus wasn't sure that it should be done. He was worried that I wouldn't ever dance again. He needed assurance that I would be okay," I twisted myself in his arms to look head on at him, realizing that I was crying again. "I'm sorry that I'll never dance for you again my darling."

"My sweet one, we'll dance together, I'll hold you," he muttered as he kissed the tears away from my cheeks. The window that we were looking through clouded over, and Sirius and I realized that we were alone again; Perenelle had left, but we hadn't heard her leave. Sirius' arms enfolded me and I was lost in the emotion of having him hold me.

Hours, days, maybe weeks passed; and we remained in our secluded world. We watched as the medical team tried to separate our bodies in the hospital ward, and they were unable to do so. A ward or something kept our bodies close. It shocked everyone that even in our unconscious state, we knew that we wanted to be together, and they were further gobsmacked when Sirius reached out to grab my hand.

We were able to look in at our children, reveling in how much they had grown in the months that we had been apart. Ethan looked more and more like his father, and was turning into quite a skater. Lilyan, with her gentleness and brilliant green eyes was outgrowing her baby like features, and was turning into a child more and more every day. John was still brash and outgoing, Jamie was the yang to his yin and still quiet and introverted. We relished watching each one with the other. They were like two halves of a whole. Little Edmund was the hardest to see, however. He had moved from his dependent baby phase into an inquisitive toddler. He was crawling and trying to feed himself.

"Sirius, I miss them so," I murmured while we were watching them.

"We'll see them again soon, love. I promise," he said, gently caressing me as we lie twined together.

"Perenelle," I called and she once again floated in.

"You're ready to choose?" she asked, and I looked at Sirius.

"Are we?"

"Is it really a choice?" he teased back, and I shook my head at him.

"How well you know me."

"All of you darling, every last cell of your body, and every desire of your heart, I know."

"It would appear that we have," I informed her.

"You know that you will be in excruciating pain, both of you; and that the road back will be hard?" she questioned us, and I couldn't bring my eyes to Sirius'.

"The physical pain we may have to endure would be nothing compared to that of the broken heart of not being with our children as they grow up. We have each other, we have our family, we have freedom and peace -- the rest we can learn to live with," Sirius spoke, saying the words that I couldn't. Perenelle smiled her understanding smile, and nodded.

"There are a few who would like to see you before you go," and as she spoke, a circle of people came and surrounded us. Albus and Nicholas greeted us warmly, giving us words of how proud they were of us. I could see Alastor and Amelia, and people that we had lost in the first war -- Mr. and Mrs. Potter and others from the Order that were taken too soon. Two figures stepped forward, and I ran to embrace one as my husband did the same with the other.

"I never wanted you to get caught up in this," I apologized to my little sister, her beautiful brown tresses blowing in the breeze that had somehow kicked up.

"Oh, Anwen, you had nothing to do with my death. Take care of my nieces and nephews for me, and live. Live every moment with all of that passion that you have for Sirius. I love you, sissy. Thank you for sharing your life with me," she whispered, saying exactly what I needed to hear from her. "Will you tell Charlie the same thing. Tell him that I'm happy. Tell him I want him to live a long life, full of happiness and joy and tell him I'll be waiting when he comes to me," she asked and I knew that I would remember her words.

I put my arm around my sister and walked across what was now a beautiful green field to where Sirius was embracing his brother. Sirius lifted Eira up and spun her around, happy to see the sister who had become so much a part of our lives. I looked at Regulus, unsure what to do -- in life we hadn't exactly been fond of one another. He reached over and grabbed me into a great bear hug.

"You know, if I had any idea just how damned powerful you were, I wouldn't have ever gone up against you," he teased.

"Well, good thing you're already dead then, so I don't have to send you here myself," I teased back.

"Are you ready, my love?" Sirius asked me, and I nodded at him. Perenelle came and stood before us.

"Do I have to say goodbye?" I asked her.

"No my dear, I'll still come and visit. Just remember, this is what you chose, and rejoice in that choice. Pain will come, but always find the glimmer of pleasure in every day, and the pain will be lessened. Love as fully as you are capable of, and take time to sing...and to dance my dear, sweet girl," she said as she wrapped me in her gentle embrace.

"I love you so my teacher and my friend," I whispered to her.

"And I love you my dear one. Now go, both of you, and live," she said.

"Oh, and for the record, it was completely cliched," I told them, and our friends laughed at me.

I could feel Sirius holding onto me. There was a sensation of falling, but not a fearful one -- I wasn't sure that there would be a landing at all. We were simply floating downward until we were once again in our bodies. The first sensation that I felt when my consciousness reunited with my body was the pain -- it was intense and almost overwhelming. I knew that they were giving me potions for the pain, but it was still coursing through me in waves. I had the sensation of still being able to feel my leg, even though I knew that it was gone.

And then, the pain seemed to ebb away. It started with my hand, and something flowed through me -- gentle, soft, smooth, cool but not cold. I could feel rough skin pressed against the soft of my hand. Sirius was pouring his love for me out of his hand, into mine as he held it.

I opened my eyes, and saw him lying there next to me, our hands clasped on the small table that was between our beds. He smiled very weekly at me.

"Welcome back," he whispered.

"No, welcome home," I corrected him.

**Remus POV:**

_I don't know why they haven't awoken, especially Sirius. They've healed his wounds as best as they can for now; and given him the correct potions, and yet, he's still out. Anwen, well, the fact that she's alive at all is impressive and illogical. She shouldn't have survived the blood loss from her injuries. It's been eight days. Why haven't they awoken? I do hope that she won't blame me when she awakes to find out that we had to remove her leg, and I was the one who finally gave in. It's healing well, and the team was already here to see about her prosthetics; but it will be so hard for her._

I looked up from the chair that I was sitting in, there was a change in the steady chimes that indicated their heartbeats and respirations. It took us days to realize that they were beating and breathing in time with each other. It was a shocking experience, trying to move Sirius away from Anwen, so that they could measure her for her new limb and having their bodies insist they remain as they were. Then, he reached over and held her hand, and he still hasn't let go. _I don't understand their love, I'm in awe of it, but I don't understand it._

I stood and walked over closer, and then I heard them, they whispered to one another.

"Anwen, Sirius, are you awake?" I questioned.

"Yes," they each whispered again, in turn.

"Poppy, Poppy, they're awake," I called the school nurse, who in turn contacted Healer Orlaf. The two fussed over their weak bodies and I watched with rapt attention.

"I don't understand it, why did they awaken together?" Poppy said after I recounted what I'd seen.

"That's just Anwen and Sirius," I mused. "Can I contact the rest of the family? They've been so worried."

"Only the Potters and the Weasleys, and your wife. No one else, not yet. Minister Shaklebolt needs to talk with her. I'm under strict orders," she told me, and I nodded at her. I fired off two quick Patronuses, and then took the mirror from my pocket and tapped on it. As soon as James' face appeared in the mirror, I began speaking.

"They're awake, and they seem to be doing fine," I told him. He curtly nodded and before I could put the mirror away James, Lily, Harry and Ginny were emerging from the floo, followed closely by Tee and Teddy. "We aren't to wear them out. Kingsley needs to talk with them." They all nodded and together we crowded around the beds. Anwen was lying on her side, and they had thrown a sheet lightly over her back to cover her wounds and give her some degree of modesty. The stump of her leg was propped up on pillows and wrapped up. Her arm was extended to Sirius, who was holding it on the table between the beds. He was on his back, looking over at her. You could almost visualize the love flowing between them. We all seemed hesitant to break their connection.

"Don't hover, it's making me nervous," Anwen garbled out and we all laughed at her. Lily and James crouched between the beds, and I went around to stand behind the head of hers. Harry and Ginny went to the far side of Sirius' bed and Tee and Teddy stayed at the end of his bed.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked them.

"Like I channeled a hell of a lot of magic," Anwen replied.

"And then got stuck under a pile of rubble," Sirius answered, and we were glad to see that their combined sense of humor had remained intact.

"Harry, why did you throw me off? How did you do it?" Anwen questioned him and the look on his face was delightful. He looked like he was ashamed of his answer.

"I knew you'd stop me. I couldn't let you...we'll talk about the rest another time," he mumbled and she nodded weakly.

We told them that we'd checked on their children, and plans were in the works to bring them home. The Potter children were already back, and Ewan and Anelle were staying for a few more days to help with the transition, and then they would be finally returning to Canada and their own lives. Anwen and Sirius' children would be back as soon as we knew that they would be able to handle having them around.

James told them that they would be coming to live with them, as they had no other house. James had already been making modifications on the house to accommodate them. While Harry had been more than willing to give them back Grimmauld, it wasn't practical with all of those stairs. Ian Anderson's company had been contracted to do the renovations to the Manor and to rebuild _Fair Garden _and Sirius told James that he wanted to be involved in the designing of the new house. James agreed to bring Ian over in a few days.

Molly and Arthur came rushing in, and Molly nearly shocked Anwen back into unconsciousness with her voracious hug. They let Anwen and Sirius know that they, along with Charlie, would be going to Canada to bring their children home. Rhosyn was insistent that she return with them, to help care for the children; and Anwen didn't protest.

I explained to them the state of their medical care, and what would be happening next. I was afraid to look at Anwen, fearful that she would blame me for the amputation of her leg. Kingsley came in, and questioned them briefly, and then excused himself; explaining that he had the answers he needed and he'd be back in a few days. They both gushed over Teddy, as he changed his appearance to match theirs, or Harry's as he held him.

It didn't take long for them to wear out, and the family left, leaving me alone with them on my shift as their guard and caretaker. I thought that they had fallen asleep again, when I heard Winnie call me.

"Remus," she whimpered and I walked over and knelt before her face. She could barely hold her eye lids open but her other hand reached out to me, and I took it. "Look at me," she begged and I couldn't help but obey. "I know that you..."she paused to take a deep breath, "...didn't want to do this. I wanted this done. I wouldn't have lived..." another breath, "...if you hadn't. Thank you," she finished and then her eyelids fell down. I placed her hand back on the bed and kissed her head, silently thankful for her words and the release from my guilt over the decision.

**Sirius POV:**

"Would you stop twitching woman, you're making it hard for me, and I'm sitting in a chair three feet away from you," I reprimanded her.

"But my babies will be here soon," she reminded me excitedly. _ As if I could forget that the children were coming home today, well, the children were coming to Potter Manor today, which is as close to home as we are going to have for a while._

"Anwen, I know that the children will be here soon, but you can't exert yourself too much, you're still healing."

"Fine, fine," she muttered under her breath as she re-arranged the sheets on her bed again. We had decided that she would remain in bed, and we'd tell the children about her condition in a few days. Anwen was still not allowed to stand, but she could sit up in a chair for brief periods, however, the bed was still the best place for her. The wounds on her back were healing, but her leg was a long way from ready. She still needed a while to heal and the bone and tissue needed to knit itself to the magical posts for the prothesis that she would soon have. It was like a training leg, made of metal and it resembled Mad–Eye's. As she got stronger, she would be given a leg that more closely resembled a "real" one. In the next weeks she would learn to stand, walk and eventually run on this magical leg.

We couldn't disguise my wounds from the children, they were quite literally written all over my face. The gash ran from the crown of my head, across my forehead, down the side of my nose and to the left side of my lips. It was the first time in my life that I was completely clean shaven, and bald. They had promised me that I would eventually be allowed to grow back my hair, and any facial hair that I wished; but in the meantime I needed to be this way. While the injuries were not created by curses, they were reacting as if they were. The only explanation that anyone could come up with was that there was so much magic in the air as they were created, the wounds became infused with it and now wouldn't heal. Healer Orlaf had actually resorted to Muggle medicine to fuse the wound together, using something called 'superglue' to hold the gash shut. He promised that it would reduce the scarring in the long run, and promised that I wouldn't resemble Mad-Eye when I was healed. At this point I took his word for it. _I just hope that I don't frighten them. _There were some other ailments that needed care as well, foremost being that we both had huge amounts of magic coursing through us. We weren't supposed to do any spells yet, and they had gone so far as to give us magical suppressants so that we wouldn't have accidental magical discharges, like little children do.

Anwen started twitching in her bed again, lifting her hand and levitating my watch over to her so she could check the time. I got up out of the rocking chair and walked over to her.

"I would have told you the time, if you'd just asked."

"I know, but it gave me something to do," she said jumpily. I wrapped a protective arm around her and kissed her deeply.

"They're almost here, and it will be fine, but I don't want you wearing yourself out before they even arrive. Relax. Would some music help?"

"Yes, thank you," she said and I walked over to the CD player and put in a new release from one of her favorite bands. She began bouncing in her bed and singing along and I laughed at her and the music.

"Tell me, why are they 'Barenaked Ladies' if they're all guys? And stop that bouncing, you're supposed to be relaxing," I reminded her again.

"Okay, okay," she said no longer bouncing, but her hands still tapping along and singing with the goofy lyrics. Her voice was gravelly and raw, but I was so happy to see her this joyful. The sunlight streamed in, illuminating what once was the Potters' ballroom. They had subdivided it, opening it fully to the dining room on one end, so that we could all be together to take meals. There were three bedrooms, one for the girls, one for the boys and one for Anwen and me. There was also a large sitting room, with the hospital bed that Anwen was in now, so that we could have everyone together when we needed. James had done all of this before we had even arrived, and he promised that when we were able to go home, the room would be restored. I remembered my overwhelming gratitude for him in that moment. _How will I ever repay him for this?_

"Hey, any word yet?" Ginny asked as she bounced in. While she was technically living at the Burrow she flooed over every morning and left late every night, she did everything but sleep here. If she did go to the Burrow during the day, Harry went with her.

"They had made it as far as the Glasgow airport at 8:00 a.m., but then they were driving the rest of the distance. James was driving his Rover and Harry was driving our car. I have no idea how long it will actually take for them to come the 240 miles to get here," Anwen told her, and we all chuckled. _ I wonder how her parents will handle the magically enhanced cars? _ The first thing that Harry wanted to do the week after the battle was get his Muggle driver's license and buy himself a car. He said he wanted to be able to leave Wizarding society every once in a while, and just be able to do things that were fun with his girlfriend. We weren't sure that buying the bright red, BMW Z3 convertible roadster was the right choice for just "blending in". _Truly, an understated car, not conspicuous at all._

"Harry has his father's lead foot and magical sense. I'm quite sure that they'll be here before lunch. I can't wait to see them Aunt Winnie," Ginny gushed and Anwen agreed with her.

"I can't either my dear. So, what are you doing with the rest of your summer?"

"Um, snogging Harry, playing with the kids, flying, snogging, sleeping, more snogging, more than snogging Harry, um...yeah, that's about it. I would like to see if I can catch up a little on what I missed this year at school. I didn't learn much in any class except for potions -- where we brewed healing potions and Transfigurations -- where Professor McGonagall tried to teach us, but we really weren't into it. Care to tutor me a little this summer?"

"Of course, we'll figure out what you did learn, and we'll start from there. Has Harry made any decisions about the fall?" Sirius asked her, and she shook her head as she went to sit on the couch in the sitting room area of our little house within a house.

"His Mum and Dad want him to do what he wants, but I think that he's afraid if he goes back to Hogwarts people will see him as wimping out of something," she said frankly. "There are a lot of people who want him to go to work for the Ministry."

"Everyone but the Minister. Kingsley wants him to take a year, and the way he's structuring the Auror department, it would be for the best anyway. I doubt that they'll have the Auror school up and running by fall," Anwen told her, and then realized that she said more than she was supposed to. Ginny's face registered the slip as well.

"You do know what they're going to do, don't you? I knew it, you're going back to teaching," she said excitedly. Anwen shook her head.

"Ginny, I am not going back to the Ministry. I do however know what is going to happen with the Magical Law Enforcement Department as well as the Wizengamot. King will call a Council meeting as soon as Sirius is ready to attend."

"Tell me, please, I won't tell anyone," she begged, but Winnie shook her head. Her pestering was abruptly ended by the sound of the front door opening and the sounds of little feet on the marble floor. I stood up and went to sit on the bed next to Winnie, who was already crying happy tears. Three of our children came rushing in, followed by Rhosyn carrying Edmund and Caldwalder carrying Jamie.

"Oh my babies," Anwen cried as they came over and scrambled up onto the bed.

"Children, I told you to be careful. Your Mummy has hurt her leg very badly," Rhosyn scolded them.

"We know. You and GrandMolly warned us. We're being careful," Ethan said back.

"Mouth Ethan," Anwen's father reprimanded him. "I've still got that bar of soap." _That was a story that I needed to hear._

Anwen held each of them, holding their faces each in turn, and kissing them, telling them how precious they were and how happy she was to have them home with us. Ethan told me that my scars were cool, and Jamie traced them with her little finger before she threw her arms around me; and beyond that none of our children said anything about them. Lilyan snuggled up against her mother, and Ethan lay down across the end of the bed. John climbed up in my lap and started talking a blue streak while Jamie held onto her Mummy and cried. Rhosyn continued to hold Edmund until I could finally free my arms from John, who went to show Harry his collection of American baseball cards, and I snuggled our youngest son.

The Potter children came running in and in no time, they were playing with their long missing friends. Jamie went and sat on Ginny's lap while Harry sat next to her, his arm draped over her shoulder, kissing her on the temple every once in a while, both listening intently to what the little girl had to say.

I gave Anwen Edmund, and Lily brought her a bottle and she sat and wept as she fed our baby. I came to sit next to her and looked around the room, realizing that everyone that we loved was now in this house. The doors to the backyard had been flung open and the children were running in the yard. Remus, Tonks and Teddy had come over, as had all of the Weasley boys, their wives and girlfriends as well. Molly, Rhosyn and Lily had busied themselves in the kitchen, preparing a luncheon feast. I couldn't believe that we had all made it through, that we were finally free of Voldemort and his tyranny.

Edmund fell asleep in Anwen's arms, one little hand down the inside of her gown, the other over her heart. She had her cheek against his head, and she had lain back against the pillows, her soft voice humming him her childhood lullaby.

"Do you want me to take him?" I asked her, but she gently shook her head.

"Can I just hold onto him forever? Can I hold my babies and never let go?" she asked, tears falling down her face.

"Yes my love, nothing will ever take them away again. I promise you on the depths of my love that nothing will ever take them from us again," I laid down next to her, wrapping my arm gingerly around her, as to not hurt her back and pulled her close to me. "Are you happy darling?"

"So very happy, I feel like I will burst from it. We had been sad for so long, barely able to get through the day, and now...oh, Sirius, I am so very happy," she told me through her tears.

Lily let us know that lunch was ready, and we watched as people filed out. Others helped our older children get their meals, but we lay there, cradling our sleeping son.

"What happens next?" Anwen asked me, in a half–dream–like state.

"Don't you remember? The handsome prince marries the pretty girl, and they live happily ever after. Winnie, we finally get to live happily ever after. All of this is behind us, we're rebuilding our house and our children are home. What more do we need?"

"Love. Lots and lots of passionate love."

"We already have that my precious little one. We already have all of the love we'll ever need," and I kissed her again, reveling in the happiness that she was sending me


End file.
